Little Dove
by Kouga's Eternal
Summary: Breaking up is hard. It's harder when the one you broke up with is trying to kill you. Following another 'incident' that put Kagome's life in danger, Miroku introduces her to his boss' little brother and owner of Akasaki Security. An offer is made and a deal is struck, but what is Bankotsu hiding, and how much more danger did Kagome put herself in? Rated for the naughty things
1. Chapter 1

"Sango, what I am going to do? Like... this shit is getting fucking scary."

Scratching the back of her head, Sango made a face as she catalogued everything she had just been told. She knew Kagome was having some problems with an ex, but she never thought it would have reached the point the asshole put her in real physical danger. With little choice but to made damn sure it wasn't what it clearly sounded like, Sango let out a hard breath before licking her lips. "And, you're sure it was deliberate?"

Jaw dropping, Kagome scoffed as she shook her head, a look of pure disgust sliding onto her features. "I wouldn't be sitting here if it wasn't fucking deliberate, Sango." Dropping hard into her seat, she crossed her arms. "I might not know a lot about cars, but I do know break lines don't just magically sever."

"Sounds pretty deliberate to me, Babe."

Both girls turned to look at Sango's boyfriend, Miroku, who was sitting on the couch playing video games. He didn't look back at them, just continued playing, prompting Sango to make a face at the back of his head. "I'm not saying it isn't. I'm just saying..." looking back at Kagome, "if it is, it's handled one way, and if it's not, it's handled another. Before we do anything, I just want to make sure. I mean, if you're so sure he's the one behind it, and you're so sure it was a deliberate attempt to kill you, why not just go to the police?"

Kagome looked at her like she was an idiot. "Right, like they'll fucking do anything. His daddy owns half the damn police force in the city, and the ones he doesn't are too damn afraid of the ones he does to ever do anything against him."

Drumming her fingers on the table, Sango propped her chin on her fist. "How do you even know it's Inuyasha? You two broke up months ago."

Challenge entered Kagome's expression. "Oh, you mean just about the time all this shit started?" When she saw Sango drop her eyes, she sighed. "Look, I know you can't really get involved because of Kohaku, but... I didn't know where else to go. I don't feel safe going home, and everyone else I know are too close to him and I know they'll go running straight to him as soon as I open my mouth." Slowly shaking her head, Kagome lost every ounce of wind in her sail and frowned. "I don't know what to do, Sang. I just... I didn't mean to snap at you, it's just... I'm scared here, and I don't have anyone other than you really. I can't involve my mother. She thinks the sun rises and falls out of his ass, and she's still trying to convince me to try and get him back because he can 'take care of me'. Yeah... he can, and he's trying to without outright shooting me in the fucking face."

Once again, Miroku piped up. "Ya know who you need to talk to, Kagome? My boss' brother. All the security at the club? Bankotsu's. All the security for traveling celebrities? Bankotsu's. The private bodyguards for the Prime Minister himself? Bankotsu's. If you're scared for you safety, he's the one you should talk to."

Looking over at him, though interested in doing just that, Kagome shook her head. "I don't think a bodyguard is in the budget, Miroku, but thanks."

Not looking away from his game, but actually getting more into it, Miroku responded. "I'm not saying it is, and I'm not really suggesting that. I've met him a couple of times, and he seemed alright. Kinda cocky and kind of an asshole, but he is the owner of... oh you mother fucker... of the the highest grossing private security firm in the country. Seems to me he... eat shit, cocksucker... he earned the right to be a cocky asshole since he's only twenty-six. Anyway... all I'm suggesting is just talking to him, asking him a couple of questions... oh, you son of a bitch... about what, if anything, you can do to feel a little more safe. I mean, sure; he's a businessman, but I doubt he's so completely unreasonable as to not answer a handful of questions for you."

Glancing at each other, Kagome pressed her lips together as Sango fought not to laugh at her boyfriend's apparent turret syndrome when he played video games.

Not fully able to get the grin from her lips, there was a chuckle in Kagome's throat. "So, how does one go about asking this guy questions?"

Finally pausing his game, Miroku turned to the dining room, draping his arm over the back of the couch. "I have to work tonight. Why don't you come too, and when he gets there, I'll talk to Jakotsu and see if he can't get his brother to come into the club. If nothing else, it'll give you a couple of hours of being in a place you know for sure, you're perfectly safe. The fact there is an abundance of alcohol there should help calm your ass down as well."

Biting into her lip, Kagome did consider the offer for a good minute before she looked back at Sango. "Can I raid your closet?"

A spark entered Sango's eyes as she stood from her seat. "Oh, no... if you're wearing my clothes, I'm picking it out."

Whipping head head to the side to follow the girls, Miroku called out after his girlfriend. "I have to leave in an hour, Sango." He rolled his eyes at her laughter, which told him without words he was probably going to be late to work that night.

And he was... by about twenty minutes. At least the only person he fucked was himself since he was the opening bartender. While Kagome got a raised brow from the door guy because most people he worked with knew Sango, nothing was said about her, or more importantly, to her.

The doorman could clearly see there was something off with the onna, but didn't want to ask because he didn't want to make it worse. She literally looked over her shoulder from the time she got out of Miroku's car to when she walked past him after proving she was old enough to be allowed in. Instead, after Miroku parked her at the bar and headed into the beer cooler to check the lines, Hiten actually followed after him to find out what was going on because, technically, the young lady wasn't supposed to be inside yet.

Miroku, as he double checked the keg lines, and making mental notes on which kegs were going to need changed out and which ones should make it through the night, didn't look at the security guard as he answered the question of Kagome's presence. "She's Sango's best friend, and she's having some... well, I'm not really sure how to put it." Finishing his task, he finally glanced over at Hiten. "She's actually here to talk to your boss."

Taken pretty off guard by the statement, he wanted to make sure he heard that right. "Bankotsu?" When Miroku nodded, he clicked his tongue. "Can I ask why?"

Scratching his temple, Miroku let out a sigh as he crossed his arms. "From what I heard her telling Sango earlier, it sounds like her ex is trying to kill her."

Eyes wide, Hiten grunted. "What? How? Why?"

Brows drawing down, Miroku recalled what he heard. "Um... well, I have no idea as to the why, but as for how? Let's see; severed breaklines on her car is the most recent one. That was earlier today. Last week there was a gas leak in her apartment that no one can figure out how it happened. A few days before that someone ran her car off the road. She wasn't in it, she let her brother borrow it." At the look he got, he waved a hand. "He's fine, no worries. He was a little shaken up, but no worse for the wear. But, no one saw it, and Sota didn't get a good look at the car, so there isn't really anything that can done for that. This shit has been going on for like... five months or more, and she's reached the point she's afraid to go home. Even if Sango doesn't really want to get overly involved because her own brother is in the middle of a bunch of bullshit that has to do with Kagome's ex, I'm having a real hard time staying out of it at this point. So, I figured I would talk to Jakotsu and see if he couldn't get Bankotsu to come in for a few so Kagome could ask him a couple of things. She's like my sister, Man, and I don't wanna see her get hurt."

With his own arms crossed, Hiten pressed his lips together, looking at the cooler floor for a moment before he flicked his eyes to Miroku. Before he told him what he knew, he wanted to know something else, first. "Don't think I didn't miss the fact you haven't given me the ex's name. You've just called him 'her ex'."

There was a reason for that, but he trusted the security guard so, as he rubbed his hands together, he clicked his tongue. "Inuyasha Taishi."

Feeling his stomach drop almost out of his asshole, Hiten choked slightly. "Taishi?" He just wanted to make sure he heard that right before he went and got his boss that was already in the building. When Miroku nodded, he almost laughed. "Let me go get Bankotsu."

Jerking at the statement, Miroku followed Hetin out of the beer cooler and back into the club. "Wait, he's here?"

Glancing back over his shoulder, there was a grin on his face. "Sure is. Came in with Jakotsu about ten minutes after your ass was supposed to be here."

Cringing hard, Miroku groaned. "So, Jakotsu knows I was late."

Nodding as he reached the steps that lead up to Jakotsu's office, Hiten chuckled. "Sure does, but I don't think it'll be the end of the world as long as you're ready for the doors to open in a half hour." With that, he left Miroku to get his ass in gear and took the steps two at a time, all but whistling. He had known Bankotsu for a long time, knew just how little the man liked Taishi, and because of that was almost positive he would give the girl whatever answers she wanted.

He didn't even try and make himself less amused when he knocked on Jakotsu's door, or try to wipe the grin from his lips when he opened it. Bowing his head to Jakotsu, he turned to his boss. "There is someone here who wants to see you."

Brow sliding up to his bangs, Bankotsu glanced at his brother before looking at his employee. "Who and why?"

Refusing to ruin the surprise, Hiten shook his head. "She's a friend of Miroku's, and trust me, Boss, you want to talk to her personally."

"Her?" At Hiten's nod, Bankotsu's curiosity peaked. He didn't consider his relationship with his brother's bartender on the kind of level necessary for him to bring someone to talk to him like this, but at the same time. Looking at his brother, he uncrossed his ankle from his knee and stood up with a smirk. "It would be rude to keep a lady waiting, right?"

Jakotsu just snorted as his brother left his office.

Stopping at the railing that overlooked the lower floor, he looked to where he was pointed to by his employee, his head tilted to the side. She was pretty; her deep, raven black hair pulled up into a ponytail off her long neck and slender shoulders. She was wearing a halter that showed more than it covered and a pleated skirt that did nothing to hide she had legs for days. She was pretty short, too, but most girls were compared to his over 6' frame.

Other than her physical appearance, even from the distance he was, he could tell one very important thing about her; she was fucking terrified. Even with no one else in the room with her but someone she knew she was tense. She carried every sign he was looking for and when he glanced at Hiten, he cocked a brow. "I'm about to get very angry, aren't I?"

Hetin shrugged. "I don't know the full story, but I do know even if parts piss you off, you're going to be far more interested in the who than the what."

Looking back at the onna sitting at the bar like the world itself was out to get her, his eyes narrowed. "And you're not going to tell me shit before I go down there, are you?"

Leaning his forearms on the railing, Hiten laced his fingers together. "According to Miroku, her name is Kagome, and she knows Taishi." He knew it. The moment the name was out of his mouth, Bankotsu was bounding down the steps, almost in a bouncing motion. He could imagine what was going through the man's mind, and he was sure it was something along the lines of 'I get to whoop that bastard's ass'. He had no idea what the bad blood was between them, but he knew it was there, and it worked out well for the onna that looked like she was crawling out of her skin.

Kagome, who had stayed at the stool Miroku sat her at when they walked in, was trying her best to relax. She knew nothing was going to happen to her in an empty club, but the quiet that came with the emptiness gave her time to think, and all she could think about was almost going off the side of a dropoff when she couldn't slow down for the turn. She wasn't even going that fast, but it was a hard turn. The only thing that stopped it from happening was the fact she was able to cut the wheel hard enough, and fast enough, to not ramp the curb.

She wasn't wholly sure how long exactly she had been sitting there when she finally reached her breaking point. Roughly scrubbing her face with her hands, she shifted, and pulled a twenty from her back pocket. "Miroku, can I have a vodka cranberry, please?"

Glancing over his shoulder and away from pulling the stoppers from the bottles to replace them with pour spouts, he frowned. "Sorry, Kid. Not until 6 or Jakotsu will have my ass."

"Oh, he's gonna have it anyway for being late." Both Kagome and Miroku snapped toward the sound of the new voice, and Bankotsu smirked at Kagome before his eyes cut to Miroku. "So you may as well go the distance and piss him off as much as possible and give the lady a drink to make the ass reaming you're gonna get worth it."

From the corner of her eye, Kagome saw Miroku cringe slightly, and frowned. It was her fault he was late, and she really didn't want to get him in anymore trouble than he was already in. So, shaking her head, she turned back to the disgustingly attractive man that appeared from the woodwork. He wasn't wearing anything that fell in line with the bar's dress code. He was in jeans and a t-shirt with a sport jacket that was clearly tailored for him. His hair was longer than hers and pulled into a simple braid that touched the back of his thighs. But, the most identifying things about him were his piercing blue eyes and the four point purple star tattoo on the center of his forehead. "It's okay. I don't want to get him in anymore trouble since he was late because of me."

Keeping a barstool between them for her comfort, Bankotsu cocked his head to the side, propping himself on the bar by his elbow and forearm, grabbing his wrist and popping one foot on the footrest. "While commendable, Onna, a phone call would have stopped the owner of the place from walking into the club one bartender short. So tell me, how was it your fault he didn't call in late?" When she remained quiet, he nodded. "What I thought." He then looked to Miroku. "Give her the drink. Looks to me like she needs it."

Kagome looked at Miroku a minute later when he set the cocktail down in front of her. Face pinched in painful sorrow, she slid the money to pay for it across the bar. "Sorry, Roku."

Bankotsu, before Miroku could pick the twenty up, dropped his hand on it to stop that from happening. Rolling his head to the side, he gave Miroku a sidelong look. "It's on me, and I'll have a beer." When the bartender put his hands up and went to get his drink, he looked at girl as he slid her money back to her across the bartop. "Well, I'm Bankotsu, and I'm told you're here to see me."

 _This_ was the guy Miroku wanted her to talk to? She wasn't wholly positive she was able to keep her face completely blank of her shock, but Kagome did nod a couple of times as she twisted herself to face him a little better. "Yeah, I, um... I'm having a some problems and I... uh... I was just was just wondering if you wouldn't mind answering a couple of questions for me. If you have the time, of course."

Picking up the beer bottle and tilting the neck toward Miroku in a gesture of thanks, he brought the mouth to his lips. "What kind of problems?"

Glancing once again at Miroku from the corner of her eye, she saw him nod, waving his fingers at her to tell her to just say it and, when she looked back at Bankotsu, she said it as bluntly as she could. "I know this is going to sound crazy, and I can't prove it but... but think my ex-boyfriend is trying to kill me." Once the words were out, she couldn't take them back, but also once they were out, and the way Bankotsu reacted, she did feel a little bit of hope bloom in her chest.

Ever so slowly, a smirk pulled at his lips as Bankotsu lowered the beer bottle as he swallowed his mouthful. He rolled his eyes to Miroku, the smirk coming out in his voice. "You brought me a present; how kind." He then looked back at Kagome, and grinned. "Well, you certainly hit the protection jackpot. What are you looking for exactly?"

Reaching up, Kagome scratched behind her ear. "See, that's the thing. I don't really know." Looking back at his eyes, she licked her lips. "I just wanted to see if you would answer a couple of questions for me, that's all."

Tapping the bottom of the bottle in his hand lightly on the bar, Bankotsu regarded the woman in front of him for a long moment, considering his options before deciding his course. Honestly, he couldn't really do anything until he had a better picture of what was going on with her, and if she was looking for advice, which she already stated she was, he needed details because different situations called for different answers.

So, having decided that, he pushed himself to stand up and jerked his head to the side. "Let's talk over there. The bar is going to open soon, and it doesn't take long to fill up."


	2. Chapter 2

Even with the butterflies in her stomach, Kagome thought she was doing a pretty decent job of being calm. The table Bankotsu chose for them to talk at, and the stool he took up, gave him the best vantage point of who came in the place, and she watched as he got himself comfortable, which actually made her feel better. If he was situating like that, he was willing to actually have a real conversation, and, maybe, even give her the kind of advice she could actually use.

For Bankotsu, it was pretty much second nature to both get a female calm, and keep her that way. He dealt with some shady clients, and it was usually always the girl that ended up suffering for a man's deeds. In the case of this particular onna, she clearly felt her life was in danger, and couldn't even relax enough to unhunch her shoulders, so if he couldn't put her at ease, this would be a lot harder. So, putting her back to the room ensuring she couldn't see the sea of people he knew to be about to enter, and give her only one person to focus on, he hoped would settle her enough to go into a little more detail than she would have at the bar.

Settling himself against the back of his stool, he dropped one arm over the back, crossed his right ankle on his left knee, and held his beer bottle, but didn't pick it up as he smiled at her. "Alright, why don't we start with you telling me your name. Unless you prefer Onna, of course."

Holding her glass with both hands, Kagome was leaning slightly over the table, her legs crossed and her body folded as small as she could make it. Licking her lips, she flicked her eyes to Bankotsu's and let out a breath to try and calm down, something that did not go unnoticed.

Leaning forward as far as his arm behind the back of his stool would let him, Bankotsu lowered his voice. "Hey." Waiting for her eyes to clear, he glanced to the door before looking back at her. "If you don't want to tell me your name, that's fine, but nothing is gonna go down here. Even if someone gets past Hiten, they also have to get past me, and that shit's not going to happen. Take a minute to calm down, give me a little to go on, and ask what it is you want to know."

Doing just that, Kagome took a deep breath through her nose and let out slowly, even taking a drink to aid in the endeavour. Giving an awkward, humorless chuckle, she shook her head. "Sorry." He just gave an offhanded shrug as he settled back and she swallowed hard. "My name is Kagome. I broke up with my ex like... going on six months ago, and ever since then, strange things have been happening, but it's only been more recently those things have been much more pointedly intentional. I moved to a new apartment four months ago, and after that, it stopped for maybe two weeks give or take, but now I'll go home and things won't be where I left them, and other things are just... gone."

Licking the beer from his upper lip after taking a drink, Bankotsu tsked. "So someone is breaking into your apartment." When she nodded, and also told him about the mysterious gas leak, he rolled his head on his shoulders before shifting his position, and leaning on his forearms on the table, and spoke with his hands. "That shit's pretty easy to stop, actually. For that, I would suggest one of two things, if not outright both, because they both do have a very clear downside. The first is the more obvious; get a security system. They'll tell you every time your door opens, or the windows, or what have you, and will expose how it is that person is getting in, and how long it is they stay. On top of that, they also detect other things like carbon monoxide gas, fire, things of that nature, and report it directly to the proper authorities."

Pausing to scratch his jaw, he continued with the second suggestion. "The other thing you can do is get a dog. Not some little yappy bastard that barks at its own shadow, but an actual trained guard dog. Uh, Shepherds, Dobermans, Rotties, and believe it or not, even pit bulls are great because they can all be trained to do pretty much any fucking thing, and are all extremely protective of their handler. You can even put any of them through different kinds of training programs where they learn to detect noxious fumes or gases we can't smell. They also come with the added bonus of you not being home alone."

Clearing his throat, his head tilted slightly to the side. "Now, nothing is without fault, and home security isn't an exception to the rule. If someone finds out the keycode to your system, or knows the right cord to cut that won't set it off, either one will render it useless, and without you knowing. With a dog, they're trained with treats, so it makes them very food motivated. If someone gets inside while say you're at work, and they have food, especially something like actual meat, they can form a relationship with the animal that would make them pretty ineffective against that particular intruder. I've actually seen it happen, so I know it's possible, and certainly something to keep in mind when you make that choice."

Having finished her drink, Kagome played with the empty glass, a frown on her lips. She was extremely grateful he was so forthcoming and gave her so much information, but it didn't really help her. Lifting her eyes and looking through her lashes, she gulped without noise. "And... what if you can't do either?" Seeing a brow slide up to his bangs, she licked her lips. "The rules in my complex state no roaming animals, so no dogs, or cats, and I'm not allowed to put holes in the walls, and I'm pretty sure a security system will put pretty big ones."

Lip curling and eyes crinkling, Bankotsu scoffed without really meaning to. "Move?" Running his hands down his face before rubbing his palms together, he made a face, but shrugged. "Well, there are systems that just stick to the windows or doors that make a hell of a lot of noise when the circuit is broken. They'll certainly catch someone's attention, but it happens every time the circuit is broken, so they aren't very effective after a while. They just piss people off, and those are mostly for parents with escape artists for children. There are others that can be controlled by your phone, but those come with their own set of downsides; not the least of which being their limitations in what they can do. Even still, I can get you in touch with a friend of mine if you want, and he can walk you through the pros and cons of each one of the phone controlled systems."

Before much more than a 'sure' to that offer could be said, the pair was interrupted by a server setting down a new drink for Bankotsu, and her eyes were only for him. Her voice was like pure sugar; overly sweet and dripping.

"Hey, Bankotsu. These are from your brother, and he told me to tell you if you need _anything_ , not to hesitate to let me know, and I will be more than happy to assist you in _anyway_ you need."

Kagome watched with amusement as the side of Bankotsu's fist pressed against his lips, a very clear gag in his throat as a tremor danced down his spine. Even still, there was a tight lipped smile on his face as he looked at her. "Thanks, Kagura. _We'll_ be sure to do that." She wasn't sure why she took such flattery by how he stressed the we in his response, but it made her press her lips together to hide a smile.

Kagura, however, didn't catch it and instead focused on the tremor. Her tongue poked out from behind her teeth, lighting running along her bottom lip. "Oh, shiver of pleasure, Bankotsu?"

He didn't miss a beat as he shook his head slightly. "Try shudder of revulsion." Leaning closer to her, he then clicked his tongue. "I wouldn't fuck you with my worst enemies dick because not even I'm that mean. So, why don't you scuttle off, and not come back." His brows popped up slightly as he smiled the most charming smile Kagome had ever seen before he leaned back into seat again and picked up his beer.

With almost a screeching huff, Kagura slammed the glass that was meant for Kagome down on the table in such a way it was intended to splash the white corset Kagome was wearing with a snapped 'here', before whirling around and stomping away, leaving Kagome with very little time to move out of the way of the pink stained liquor that was now aiming for her borrowed white skirt.

Standing to the side, Kagome held her hands at the side of the table to stop the drink from making a mess anywhere but the table, though not fully able to, and looked at Bankotsu with wide eyes as he signaled for another server to bring some napkins. "The fuck is that bitch's problem?"

Bankotsu glared at the ceiling for a moment before reaching across the table, grabbing Kagome by the elbow, and pulling her closer to him as Kanna ran over to clean up the mess with a shake of his head. Picking up a stack of napkins from her tray as she used a cloth to clean the table and stool, he wiped off Kagome's hands himself as he spoke. "You just answered your own question. She's a bitch." Leaning back slightly, he then wiped off the few drops that got on Kagome's stomach before dropping the napkins on the tray and looked at the server. "Hey, Kanna." Once she looked at him, he gave her a leveled looked. "Can we not have Kagura as a server." Though it was phrased as a question, it was anything but one.

And Kanna knew it. Nodding quickly, she gave them both a smile. "Of course. If you need anything, I'll get it for you."

As Kanna was walking away, Kagome took a seat in the dry stool that was next to Bankotsu, opposed to the one she had been sitting in that was across from him, and dropped her face into her palms. "As if I didn't have enough bullshit to deal with."

Retaking his own seat he stood from when he moved Kagome closer to him, he clicked a tune with his tongue before looked at her as he picked up his beer. "Why don't you tell me what's really been going on, Kagome. I mean, sure, someone breaking into your apartment is pretty shitty of someone, and an unexplained gas leak is some bad luck but, by itself, that doesn't lend to the narrative of someone trying to kill you."

Lacing her fingers together in front of her lips, Kagome kept her head straight, but cut her eyes to Bankotsu. He looked as relaxed as ever, and what he just said kind of made her mad. She had to agree to a point, but still. So... letting out a breath, she dropped her hands, folded her arms on the table, and launched into it.

"Three hours ago, I was driving to my mother's house. There is a pretty sharp turn between my apartment and the shrine my mother oversees. On the other side of the curb, there is a flimsy little railing. On the other side of that railing is a drop off into a concrete reservoir that's about a fifty foot straight drop. I hit my breaks to make said turn... my foot goes right to the floor, and my car does not slow down. Pull the emergency break, same thing. Car doesn't stop. I'm pretty good at defensive driving, and have pretty decent reflexes, so I cut the wheel so I when I hit the curb, I bounced off of it instead of ramping it. That gas leak in my apartment was last week. Oh, three days before that, my brother had to borrow my car because his was in the shop, and he was run off the road in the middle of the night on his way home from work. Randomly, all over the damn city, I'll be attempting to cross the street and damn near get hit by a car. Doesn't matter where I am. It's never the same kind of car, but it always comes out of nowhere."

The more she spoke, the more he had to admit it sounded like someone did have it out for her. Knowing who the someone was, he hadn't really doubted it from the beginning, but getting the information he had from her, he had a better idea what he was dealing with, and was actually now in a better position to offer her some advice. Finally, not really caring about anything else she had to say, Bankotsu waved a hand at her. "Okay, you can stop."

Kagome, however, didn't. She did halt the recap, but she didn't stop talking. "Look, I know I sound ridiculous and paranoid, but, I'm scared and I don't know what to do."

Nodding once, Bankotsu crossed his arms. "Honestly, I don't think you're as crazy as you think you sound. I've have had people come to me making that same claim on much, much less. Sometimes they're right. Sometimes they just hit a very, very unfortunate string of bad luck. Sometimes they actually are batshit crazy. I had someone come into my office about a year ago, wanting protection from the Kami themselves because of a horoscope, that wasn't even theirs, that said something about it being best to stay indoors. But real or fake, none of that is for me to decide. Someone comes to me, it becomes my job to keep them alive; regardless of whether or not there is actually something tangible trying to kill them.

"Look, I'm not going to sit here and blow smoke up your ass. I'm going to tell you exactly how it is. Individually, the events as described can all be explained, including what happened tonight. You said last week your brother was run off the road in your car. Okay, well, that even has several different, reasonable, explanations, too. You said it was the middle of the night, so... he fell asleep and drifted. The driver of the other car fell asleep and drifted, forcing your brother to swerve to avoid a head on collision. An animal ran in front of him and he swerved to miss it. Either way, right or wrong, the car went off the road, which can cause damage to it. A week later, as a direct result of that accident, the brakes were damaged and went out tonight. Again, either way, right or wrong, it is a logical explanation for the event.

"It's not until you start adding it all together you get the picture someone wants you out of the way. Now..." pausing, Bankotsu ran his tongue along his teeth as he formed how to phrase the next thing he wanted to say. When he figured it out, he brought his beer to his lip, and killed the last of it. Clearing his throat, he recrossed his arms. "In the event of full disclosure, I know who you're afraid of."

Jolting like she was punched in the face, Kagome reared back with a whimpered gasp. "You do?"

Nodding slowly, Bankotsu hummed in his throat. "Mmmhmm... and it's because I know that, I believe you. It's also because of that I'm going to proceed what I'm about to say with the disclaimer of 'under normal circumstances, I would suggest', and they're pretty much common sense. That said, though, and this doesn't just go for you. It goes for everyone. You are only going to be as safe as you make yourself. If you're scared something is going to happen to you while you're out, don't go by yourself. Take someone with you.

"Also, pay attention to your surroundings. If you think someone is paying just a little too much attention to you, get a good look at them. Memorize important features, like hair color, length, eye color, skin color, if they have tattoos, what they are and where they are. Make sure you know where _you_ are, so if it comes to calling someone for help, they can get to you faster because you can tell them exactly where to go."

Holding up a finger, he continued. "The one thing I always suggest to any woman that comes to me because she's afraid of an ex is to take the classes, get licensed, and carry a fucking gun. Because..." unbuttoning his jacket with one hand, he opened his jacket and showed off the handles to the two 9mm, semiautomatic, glocks that were securely fastened in the holsters he had hidden underneath. "You would be surprised how how much safer you feel with one of the these." Releasing his jacket, but not redoing the buttons, he leaned forward on the table and looked Kagome in the eyes. "This is where I remind you of the pre-given disclaimer of, 'under normal circumstances'. But... since I know Taishi, and I know we're not dealing with 'normal circumstances', for you, I'm going to suggest something pretty fucking extreme."

Getting closer, her lowered his voice to a near whisper. "Get a bodyguard for the time being, because one of two things are going to happen. He'll either succeed in what he's trying to do, or he'll give up eventually. I don't mean one that has his nose so far up your ass you go around a corner and you break his damn nose, but one that is more tactically trained that knows how to keep an eye on your ass without being obvious about it."

While he wasn't a fan of the pure terror that entered Kagome's eyes, he didn't say anything as she shook her head and whimpered. "You know Inuyasha?"

Nose wrinkling, Bankotsu grunted as he dropped back into his seat. "I do. I used to be pretty decent friends with his brother. Sesshoumaru was a year ahead of me in school and we were on the basketball team together. Hung out quite a bit until just after Final Year started. He graduated, I hadn't yet, and over that year, we drifted. Sesshoumaru isn't a horrible guy; at least in my opinion. He's a bit misguided and pretty fucking pompous for the fact everything he has was given to him by his daddy, but overall, he's not a bad guy. "

Frowning slightly, Kagome shrugged. "I always thought Inuyasha wasn't a horrible guy, just a little misguided in some aspects of life."

Bankotsu snorted hard. "Inuyasha is just about the most insecure mother fucker I have ever had the displeasure of meeting, and even back then those insecurities came out in some really fucked up ways. Inuyasha is a terrible human being. Deep down in his core, he's a horrible person. Now, this conversation stays at this table, and if it leaves, I'll kill you myself." Looking her dead in the eyes, he laid out a bit of truth for her. "I have a body count, and I'm not afraid to add to it. Clear?" When she nodded, he continued, though did leave something very important out of his next statement, and just how involved with it he actually was. "I know horrible; I deal with the mafia, both those in it, and those trying to get out of it. I've seen some shit over the years that would make this crap you're dealing with seem like little more than an inconvenience. The point is, the Taishi Family is the last family you want trying to kill you." He paused for a moment before lifting a shoulder, continuing to downplay and leave out what he was pretty sure the girl next to him would consider important information when it came to his involvement with the country's less than savory occupants. "It's best case it's the moron out for your head. If I knew what that family was into eight years ago, I can only imagine what you know they are into now, which is why I'm making the suggestion I'm making. I don't make it lightly, and I can't really think of a time off the top of my head I've made it before, but, for the time being, I truly believe it's the wisest thing to do in your case."

At that point, in Kagome's mind, it was time to just get smashed. So, in an attempt to do just that, she picked up her drink she hadn't touched since Kagura slammed it down on the table, and drank everything that was left of it all in one go. Licking her lips, she sniffled slightly, not looking away from the glass in her hand. Glancing over at him, she gave him a small smile. "I can't afford... something like that, so. I'll, uh... I'll do the rest of what you said. Thanks for your time."

Now, he couldn't very well let her walk away over something as stupid as money, which was something he certainly didn't need. So, as she went to get up, Bankotsu reached under the table, wrapping his fingers around her thigh and holding her in place. When she looked back at him, he let her go and brought his hand back within her sights, lacing his fingers together, and propping his chin on his knuckles. "I'll tell ya what, Kagome. I'm a decently reasonable guy, and you're not the only one currently trying to find a solution to a problem."

Reaching across his throat, he scratched the back of his jaw with his thumb. "I got a few guys that need some real world experience before I can use them for anything other than private security like what Hiten does here at the bar. I also got a couple of other guys; new applicants to the firm I haven't had time to assess and find out if their skills are worth a fuck or if they're a bunch of fucking liars. If you're willing to work with me and let my guys get the experience I need them to have and... well, consent to being what's basically a guinea pig for the assessment of the new guys, I'm willing to give you what amounts to several months of twenty-hour surveillance."

It felt like her breath was stolen from her lungs as she sat there in pure and utter shock. Frozen in it, Kagome could literally do nothing but stare at the man that simply looked back at her. There was no expectation on his face, no 'hurry the fuck up and answer' in his eyes. She certainly didn't want him to think she was in any way ungrateful for the offer, she just had no idea what to say to it at first.

Finally, she went with honest. "I don't want you think I'm not grateful, Bankotsu, because I really am it's just... what happens if they are a bunch of fucking liars?"

It was company practice for nicknames, or rather code-names, to be given to private clients like what he was taking Kagome on as, and the reason was simple. It protected the identity of the one his company was protecting. The only person that knew the client's actual name was Bankotsu himself, and in Kagome's case, her nickname was given due to the fact she was nearly a foot shorter than he was and she was dressed completely in white.

With a grin on his lips and a chuckle in his voice, Bankotsu shook his head. "Oh, Little Dove, let me make one thing very clear. There is nothing, literally nothing, more important to me than the reputation of my company. It is my reputation that keeps me in business, and there is nothing I won't do to protect that reputation. The ones I have in mind for a promotion from security guards to bodyguards have been with me for years, and I still don't have a molecule in my body that would allow me to stake my reputation on their abilities. In your case, because three of them aren't bodyguards, and two of them don't even work for me yet, at no point will you ever be alone with any of them. If you agree to this, to be clear, you will be _my_ personal client, and will be spending an exorbitant amount of time with me." When Kagome blinked, he clicked his tongue. "Think of it as a... fail sake. My guys get their experience, the new guys get their assessment, and there is absolutely no threat to your safety in the meantime. From where I'm sitting, it's a win all around, really."

Her mother had always told her if something sounded too good to be true, it probably was so, with that in mind, Kagome cleared her throat and licked her lips as she shook her head. "You don't know me, and I can't prove, even slightly, what I think is going on is actually going on. I guess I just don't understand why you're making such a generous offer to a stranger."

Bankotsu nodded once. "You're right. I don't know you and you can't prove it. The fact is, Little Dove, I just don't like Taishi. I'm not getting into why that is right now because it's not important to the conversation. That said, I dislike him so much, anything that comes up that means I get to make his life just a little bit harder is gold in my book. If you want an actual reason though, here's one for you. Bodyguards are more lucrative than security guards, and the more bodyguards I have on staff, the more money my firm makes. Quite honestly, you allowing my guys to get where I need them to be is far more profitable in the long run than than the few thousand I would charge you for my firm's services."

Kagome nearly choked on her tongue. "Few thousand?"

One of Bankotsu's shoulders popped. "Well, yeah. It would run anyone else about seven grand, give or take a couple hundred on the back end. We're talking three guys, around the clock, for three months, with the addition of my personal time. From a business point, it's still pretty cheap for what it is, but here's the thing. I can't charge that using someone with literally no experience outside club or private security. The more hours someone logs as a legit bodyguard, the more their time is worth. No experience? No worth; it's just the way it is. My time is worth a fucking mint, but again, I can't use someone without bodyguard experience playing that part and something happen to you, because that would then damage my reputation, which then affects my bottom line, and we can't have that.

"However, so you are aware, this is not an open ended offer. I don't take on personal clients anymore, and if I'm going to take you on like this, I have to have some time to get shit situated in such a way as to allow me the time to conform to your schedule and not you conforming to mine... which is ridiculously busy on a daily basis. That is unless, of course, you don't mind sitting in the corner of my office for fourteen hours a day while I do paperwork and make phone calls. While it would certainly make both our lives easier, it's just not conducive to actual reality. You have an _actual_ life to live with an _actual_ threat against it, at least until proven otherwise. I'm not going to lie, the jury is still out on that, but if you are right, I doubt it will be long before the verdict is in. While I can guaranfuckingtee nothing physical will ever happen to you in my office, you sitting there watching me earn my paycheck doesn't earn you yours.

"So, all that said, you have until this conversation is over to make your choice, and as far as I'm concerned, the conversation is over. I answered your questions. I gave you every bit of advice and every suggestion I am capable of giving you, including offering you my personal services free of charge for the next twelve weeks. This is now your decision, and I'm going to need you to make it in the next thirty seconds."

It took her twenty-nine to spit out the 'yes' Bankotsu was waiting for, making him smirk. "Fantastic. For now, there is only one thing I need you to keep in mind, the rest we'll go over tomorrow when you come my office. Do not, at any point, under any circumstance, tell any of my guys your name. From this moment on, you will be referred to as, and called to your face, Dove. Unless they are a personal friend of yours, that is the only thing you are to answer to. If someone says they work for me, and they call you something other than that, they are lying. It's a safety precaution."

Nodding once, Kagome glanced down before looking back at Bankotsu. "And if someone who doesn't work for you learns that?"

Bankotsu's smirk grew. "And that's exactly why you're going to be spending so much time with me. If someone learns that name, it's going to be because of one of my guys since they will be the only ones that know it. If someone tries to use it to get you to go with them, I'll be there to stop it before I just beat the shit out of whoever it was that gave out that name; which is the reason no one but me will now your actual name. You have to keep in mind, these are not trained guards; they're getting their training through you. You still have to be vigilant here, because like I said earlier, you're only going to be as safe as you make yourself. The only difference now is, you have a little backup if you land your ass in a jam, through your own actions or not. We'll go into more detailed shit tomorrow in my office before I introduce you to the guys, but for now, that is the only thing you need to _know_.

"What I'm going to need you to _do_ between now and then is write up your coming schedule with as much information as possible. When you work, where, what plans you have... all of it and everything you can think of. I'm also going to need at least a partial list of people you think I need to know about, and why you think I need to know about them. Preferably, this list will be family, close friends, co-workers you see outside of work, people I'm going to see that you know aren't a threat so me and my guys know on sight they're 'safe'. Add in a general description so we know who they are, and that's that for that. Anything else I need, I'll either get tomorrow or as it comes up."

Nodding along with his words and filing away what he asked for so she knew what all she needed to write down, Kagome let out a breath and nodded once more. "Okay, I can do that. So, we'll start this arrangement in the morning, then?"

Bankotsu nodded back as he reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a business card, holding it out to her between two fingers. "Barring any issues tonight, yes. This is my cell. If you even think you need help, don't hesitate to call. Believe it or not, I would rather be pulled out of bed over some bullshit false alarm than waste my time rearranging my schedule while waiting for you to show up in my office and you're lying dead in bed. So, before you leave here tonight I'm going to need your phone number and address."

Tentatively taking the card from him, Kagome looking at it for a moment, before flicking her eyes to his. "I can think of several better ways to say what you just said." Setting the card on the table, she then opened her purse and, after digging around at the bottom for a moment, pulled out a pen. Flipping the napkin her drink had been on to the dry side, she wrote down her cell number and her address.

While she was doing that, Bankotsu chuckled. "Blunt is far more effective than false security."

There was a grunt in her throat as Kagome pushed the napkin toward Bankotsu with a little bit of attitude. Yes, she knew he was doing her a huge favor, but damn it, she didn't think that meant he could do or say whatever he wanted without regard to how it made her feel. She was already kind of afraid of that exact scenario happening, and he just calls it out like it was nothing. To him, it probably wasn't, but it in no way made her feel better. "Even still; tact is a thing. It would be nice to not have what is currently my worst fear thrown in my face like that."

Barely able to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the onna, Bankotsu gave a small shake of his head as he picked up the napkin and tucked it away in his jacket pocket. "And it's because that's a fear of yours I did it. There is a reason behind everything I do, Little Dove. If I think scaring you into paying attention when you're on your own is necessary, I'm going to do it."

She wasn't completely able to keep the glare off her face, but she did her best. "10-4, Ass."

That time he did roll his eyes at her.

Following his cue and sliding out of her seat when Bankotsu did, Kagome looked up at him because she really was fucking short, and licked her lips. "So, what time do you want me at your office in the morning?"

There was a very deliberate shrug on Bankotsu's part. "I really don't care. I'll be there at 9, so let's go with after that."

It had been Kagome's intention to simply nod her understanding and head back to the bar to wait for Miroku to get off for the night, but as she was doing exactly that, something came over her. She didn't know what it was, but instead of just telling him she would see him in the morning and walking away, she took the step that separated them, and threw her arms around his neck. She caught him as off guard as she caught herself when her mind caught up with her body, but she didn't pull back at that point. Instead, she tightened her arms, and whispered a very quiet and sincere 'thank you' in his ear.

Though Bankotsu didn't particularly like to be touched in such a manner, he just let out a quiet sigh before setting his hand against the bare skin of his charge's back. His own voice was much softer than it was a moment ago, the loss of the matter of fact he had been speaking with making his deep voice soothing and calming to the frayed nerves that had long since taken over Kagome's body. "It's my pleasure, Little Dove." Leaning back, he gave her an actual smile. "I'll see you in the morning."


	3. Chapter 3

Bankotsu only stayed at the bar for another hour or so before he left, stopping off for a quick word with Kagome on his way out to remind her not to hesitate to call him should she feel it was necessary. He also informed her that every security guard in the building worked for him, so if she felt she needed it, or if she felt she was being watched, or anything felt off, she could go to them and they would let him know faster than she could dial his number.

While he had every intention of starting on the laundry list of shit he had to do to carve out time for her before she showed up at his office the next morning, it was when he was programming her number in his phone and glanced at her address he decided he would swing by there on his way home. He knew where the complex was and since it wasn't out of his way to do, he felt it prudent to check it out for himself so he knew what he was dealing with when it came to just how easy it would be for someone to get in and out, and how quickly it could be done. Since he knew there wasn't a security system, and he knew several ways to break into places without leaving a trace, that was exactly what he intended to do on his way home.

But... that's not how his night went.

His arrival at the complex was less than covert, but as he approached the door of Kagome's apartment, things changed drastically when he saw a shadow move across the inside of the front window.

Slowing his steps, he pulled one if his guns from the holster under his jacket and flipped the safety off. Pointing it down, he turned his body so his back was to the wall, and moved with deliberate steps until he was right next to the sheer covered window. Leaning over only enough to see inside, his eyes narrowed as he searched for what he knew he saw. There was a level of impressment on his part when he realized Kagome left a small side table lamp on when she wasn't home so she wasn't walking into a dark apartment like so many others do to save on their electric bill, and it gave off enough light for him to be able to make out the layout, but it also gave off enough to cast a shadow on the wall of the person that was hiding inside, and not very well at that. It wouldn't be obvious to someone not paying attention, but to the trained eye, it was like a beacon.

Nose wrinkling, Bankotsu shook his head as he slowly backed away from the window. Replacing his gun and pulling out his phone, he grunted. "I don't think so."

Waiting for the other end of the call to pick up, his moved back down to his car, and he was almost there when he heard Hetin's voice in his ear. " _Yeah, Boss?"_

Quick and to the point as he pulled his keys from his jeans pocket, he unlocked his car and spoke into the phone. "I'll be back in twenty minutes. Do not let her leave, and do not let her out of your sight."

" _No problem. Everything alright?"_

Sliding into the driver's seat, Bankotsu glared at nothing and he stuck the key into the ignition. "If it was, I wouldn't be coming back. Dove's protection starts now."

" _I'll watch her, but I can't leave the door."_

Pure annoyance entered Bankotsu's voice as he continued to glare out the windshield, turning the key and starting the engine. "Hetin, I am only going to say this once. Do not forget who's name is actually on the bottom of your paycheck."

There was a rough clearing of Hetin's throat before his voice came back through the phone. " _You're the boss. What should I tell her?"_

"Not a damn thing. I'll take care of it when I get there." Having nothing else to say, Bankotsu ended the call, and pulled out of the parking spot. Normally, it took more than twenty minutes to get to his brother's bar from where he was, but if whoever was now after the girl was brazen enough to actually lie in wait for her in her apartment, there was very few steps left before her life became much harder to protect.

Not that there was much, but if there was any part of him that questioned the validity of her claim Taishi wanted her dead, it was gone, and she would be lucky if he let her take a piss with the door closed.

It didn't even take him the full twenty to once again stop next to the curb outside Shikon. Leaving the engine running, he took the valet tag that was handed to him and said nothing to Hetin when he told Bankotsu Kagome hadn't left the stool she was sitting at when he left. He glided across the floor with the grace of a cat, neatly dodging every body that stood between him and his charge.

When he reached her, he dipped his head and spoke in her ear, the suddenness of his reappearance making her jump. "Come with me."

Whipping her head around, Kagome locked her shocked brown eyes on Bankotsu's blue ones, but didn't argue with him as she scrambled to her feet and jogged to catch up with him since he didn't wait for her to get up.

When she was next to him, he set a hand on the small of her back, pulling her in front of him, and pushing her past the guy that was standing at the bottom of the steps that led up to the VIP lounge and Jakotsu's office.

Directing her off to the side where they would be able to talk without yelling, Bankotsu leaned his hip against the railing and crossed his arms as he looked down at Kagome. "Where did you plan to sleep tonight?"

More than a little taken off guard by the question, Kagome did nothing to hide her shock, or drop the sarcasm since she had been doing shots since she took up a bar stool. "My bed? Maybe my couch?" Then she herself shrugged and leaned on the railing. "Possibly even my living room floor. Honestly, it's really going to depend on just how far into my apartment my drunk ass can make it."

The only thing that stopped him from saying, out loud, 'you're not making it far at all' was the fact Kagome was trashed. It would just add another level of difficulty to the situation, and right now, difficult needed to be avoided if she was going to see sunrise. Shifting his eyes down to the bartender he knew she had a relationship with, Bankotsu clicked his tongue. "Yeah, that's not happening." Looking back at her, he cocked his head. "Do you have somewhere else you can stay tonight?" He really hoped there would be a yes to that answer, but when she shook her head, he groaned out a 'fuck'. Uncrossing one arm, he scratched at his brow with a look of thought on his face. He had a place he could take her, but he didn't really want to if he didn't have to. However, with her answer being what it was, it was with a resigned sigh he recrossed his arms. "Where are you parked?"

There was no stopping the amusement that took over Kagome's being at the question. "Parked?" When Bankotsu nodded to her, she snorted. "I don't know, but wherever the tow-truck driver dropped my car off, I would imagine. Ya know, Bankotsu, for the fact we went over what happened to my car less than two hours ago, and you're asking me where I parked it? It just doesn't give me a lot of comfort with the fact I'm supposed to be trusting you with my life in a handful of hours."

He always did have a thing for sassy girls. A chick that could hold her own in a war of words was nothing short of an aphrodisiac to him, but now wasn't the time for it. Instead, the most leveled expression he had ever used with a female settled on his features as he locked their eyes. "Ya know, Little Dove, if you wanna be a bitch, you can go home and face off with the dude waiting for you in your apartment." Though he saw her pale before his eyes, he continued. "I really don't care, because let's not forget, you're _still_ on your own right now. I didn't promise you shit for protection until tomorrow morning. So, you have two choices; do you want to deal with him? Or do you want to readjust our bargain and deal with me a little sooner than anticipated?"

There was little that was going to sober Kagome up after the amount of shots she did after her conversation with Bankotsu earlier ended, but that did it. Whatever calm she had been able to obtain was gone, and she looked up at him now with paperwhite skin and wide eyes. "I don't want to _deal_ with either of you. I don't want to _deal_ with any of this. I don't want there to be anything to _deal_ with."

Banktosu just make a face as he shrugged a shoulder. "What we want rarely falls in line with what we get, Kagome. This is happening, right now, as we speak. You said this has been going on for six months, give or take, right?" When she nodded, he tsked. "I don't know who's hiding behind your couch. I don't need to know who's hiding behind your couch. All I need to know is what that son of a bitch is waiting for, and that's you since you didn't do anything about this back when it was an easy fix. Now, it's ramping up, and you have to decide, very quickly, how you want to proceed."

Hysterical, in her opinion, was an acceptable emotion at the moment. Voice rising slightly, and taking on a tremored pitch, Kagome threw her hands in the air. "And do what? We were together for over two years, Bankotsu. He knows everyone I know. He knows everywhere I would go. Even my own mother's house isn't safe because she's convinced he's a fucking saint and would let him in without question. I don't have anyone or anywhere he doesn't have some kind of access to. Even you, a perfect fucking stranger to me has a relationship with him. Good or bad, it's still fucking there, and..."

Reaching out, Bankotsu clamped his hand over Kagome's mouth, a brow high on his forehead. "You need to settle the hell down, Little Dove. Yelling at me doesn't change your situation. All it's going to do is piss me off, and if I'm really all you got, that's a very bad idea, dontcha think?" Holding her eyes for a moment longer, he moved his hand and recrossed his arms. "Unlike those that will be training for the next few months, I already know what the fuck I'm doing, and I know how to keep your ass alive through anything thrown my way. I asked about where you were parked, not because I forgot you didn't drive, but to make sure the car you got here in is actually safe for someone to get into. After what I found at your place, _you_ will be leaving with me, but if you actually care at all about Miroku, and I'm pretty sure you do, you'll tell me where the fuck his car is."

There were tears blinding Kagome's vision as she swallowed. "Um... about the middle of the fourth row, I think. It's dark green with a small turtle decal on the back window Sango put there."

Nodding, Bankotsu held a hand out behind her, indicating her to turn around and when she did, he directed her with a hand on her back to Jakotsu's office door. Opening it up, he looked at his brother, who was looking back at both of them with a raised brow. Not one to leave someone waiting for answers, he pushed Kagome inside and locked eyes with his brother. "This is your bartender's friend. She's gonna hang out in here with you while I see to something. I'll be back for her in a few minutes."

Shocked was a good way to describe Jakotsu's reaction to his little brother, but knowing him like he did, he knew there was no arguing with him about it. So, instead he just nodded and after Bankotsu closed the door behind him, he turned his sights on the girl on the verge of tears. Periodically he had glanced over at the table she and Bankotsu were sitting at, and once again after his brother left, he had thought for the night, and she had seemed in pretty decent spirits. He wasn't sure what happened since then, but he knew something had, so without much thought to it, he stood from his desk and went over to the small bar set up against the wall of his office. Learning what she drank earlier in the night, he mixed her up a pretty heavy handed vodka cranberry and held it out to her. "This is a tear free zone. Whatever it is that's going on, I can say with certainly Bankotsu will have handled in no time. So, sit down, have a drink, and relax a bit."

Fighting to keep her tears from falling, Kagome licked her very dry lips before she made her way over to Jakotsu, taking the glass he held out to her, and took it to the face to try and wet her tongue and throat. She didn't say anything more than a 'thank you' to the drink, her mind not allowing her to think of anything other than what Bankotsu said he found at her apartment. She hadn't lied, she really didn't have anywhere she could go that was safe' not even Sango and Miroku's because of Kahaku, who had free reign to come and go there as he pleased since he had a key since it was his sister's place.

She had taken a seat, but wasn't able to do more than that before Bankotsu came back into the room. She looked at him, and he looked back at her, a silent exchange between them that told her he didn't find anything when he looked at Miroku's car.

Instead of saying it outloud, Bankotsu just tilted his head toward the open office door. "You ready?"

Nodding to him, she once again thanked Jakotsu for his generosity in hospitality, and stood from her seat. Stopping in front of Bankotsu, she cleared her throat. "I just have to get my purse from the bar."

That was the last thing said between them for nearly a half an hour. Kagome had no idea where she was being taken, and he didn't offer the information. She had glanced at him a few times after she got in his car, but with his jaw set and his eyes shining in thought, she felt it best not to disturb him. She hadn't been paying a lot of attention to where he was heading, but when he slowed to a stop, she did focus on what was around her. Brows creased, she finally broke the silence between them when he rolled down his window and pressed his thumb against a small pad. "Where are we?"

Waiting for the beep, Bankotsu turned to look at her. "You'll see." Once the pad beeped, he put in a security code and returned to a seated position, driving through the gate that opened. Directing the car through the maze of roads, he just tapped his thumb to beat of the song playing on the steering wheel. When he stopped the car again, he did the same thing, only this time it was to the door to a parking garage.

Never one had Kagome seen a door go up and down so quickly, and when she inquired as to why that was, Bankotsu smirked. "It guarantees only one car gets in at a time." Turning the wheel and pulling into a parking spot, he shifted the car into park, and finally turned to fully look at Kagome. "Welcome to Akasaki Security, Little Dove."


	4. Chapter 4

Following Bankotsu through his building was certainly an event. She was pretty sure it was because it was after hours, but you couldn't get through a single door, or past any obstacle, without first either giving a thumb print, swiping a card, or putting in a code. There were even some places you had to do one of the three there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to. She could understand doors, and even the elevator, but there were three what Bankotsu called checkpoints that were in the middle of the damn hallway. She knew it was a security company, but she hadn't realized the office itself was on the kind of lockdown one would expect for fucking royalty something like that.

However, she didn't ask why it was so difficult to actually get into the office, because again, she assumed it had to do with the hour. She was positive there was a lot of sensitive information somewhere inside, and if Miroku was right about what kind of clients Bankotsu had, and what he himself told her about the few dealing he had with members of the mafia, she could understand a heightened level of security when there weren't actual bodies present.

As they walked, Bankotsu pointed out what different rooms were, including his own office where she would be meeting whoever it was she had agreed to allow to get the training he wanted them to have in the morning. There was one last random security pad Bankotsu uncovered, and it was, again, in the middle of the hall. This one, though, was different and she noticed that right away. Clearly, you had to know where this one was, because there was nothing to give it away, and all Bankotsu did was press the card in his hand flat against the wall, and following a click, pushed an entire panel of the wall out of his way.

Standing there with owlish eyes and parted lips, Kagome stood dumbstruck when Bankotsu revealed a hidden passage behind the wall you wouldn't even know was there. It truly didn't look like there was room for something like that, but regardless, she followed him in and up a circle staircase where, once again, a thumb scanner awaited someone at the top.

Pressing his thumb to it, Bankotsu then turned, reaching down and took hold of Kagome's wrist. Taking her thumb, he then pressed it to the scanner and waited for it to scan the print twice before releasing her hand and setting his own against the scanner again. The whole time, he said nothing to her, just whistled as he waited for the door to the safehouse to open. Once the system logged his permission for the new thumb print to be used, there was two beeps before the magnetic lock released and the door slid open.

To Kagome, as she stepped inside, it was like something out of a sci-fi movie or some shit. She had seen some pretty high tech shit before, but this was next level. Not even the next step level, this was several levels above that, and she just looked at Bankotsu with pure amazement on her face. "You really do take this security thing seriously, don't you?"

Shrugging out of his jacket and hanging it up on a hook by the door that slid closed behind his charge, he clicked his tongue as he looked at her. "It really is all about that first impression. But, the foremost thing to keep in mind is, this is a security company. When someone is paying you an obscene amount of money for the ability to feel safe, possibly for the first time in a long time, you tend to offer very, very good security. Most of the electronic measures we passed through deactivate at 9am and stays inactive until 9pm. During regular business hours, there are armed guards at those points instead."

Nodding her understanding, she crossed her arms as she leaned back against the wall behind her. "So, for curiosity sake, how would one get past the armed guards?"

Waving her to follow him into the place, Bankotsu answered the question, even if it wasn't really something she needed to worry about. "Everything happens at the front gate. You cannot gain access to this building without going through it, and the only way you can get through it is by having your thumb scanned. Once that is in our system, and it kicks back your basic background check, you can enter the actual grounds, and at the security checkpoints, you have your thumb scanned again. You can fake an ID, but not your fingerprints. What is in your background check doesn't really matter, but it's always good to know what kind of people we have inside. We came in through the parking garage, and the only way to gain access to that is by working here. To get this out of the way, I am the only person that has access to this building during off hours. With that said, however, anyone else that tries to get in will succeed in doing so, but they aren't getting very far. During off hours, every open door locks once it's closed again, and where there should be a person to scan your thumb to make sure you're are allowed to be in the building during the day, you cannot get passed without the keycard in my wallet. You can fire any gun, set off any explosive, at any one of those glass doors, and they will actually laugh at you. At that point, the intruder can't go forward, and there is no way to open doors on the inside once they close behind you without my card, effectively trapping them right where they are.

"This is my firm's safehouse, and where you'll be staying for the time being until something else can be figured out. You and I are the only ones that can open the door right behind you. All you have to do is press your thumb to the scanner and it'll open. The only current way to open the one at the bottom is, again, the keycard in my wallet, but I will make you your own in the morning. It'll give you all the same allowances mine gives me, but that in no way means you have free reign of this place. Nothing, at all, opens or closes in this building without me knowing about it, and there are places if I find out you went, all bets are off and it's open season on your ass. Was that in anyway unclear?"

Kagome was quick to shake her head. "Not even a little. Why though? I don't mean why can't I go certain places, I got that. But, why give me an all access pass to the place?"

Opening the fridge and pulling out two beers, he opened them both, and slid one across the counter to his charge, leaning back against the counter behind him as he held his in his hand. "I already answered that. This is where you will be staying until something else can be figured out, but I have no intention of being here every night until then. You'll need a way in, or out as the case dictates, and like I said before, I don't trust anyone that works for me enough to give them access to shit they know is here and give one of them a way in here after hours."

Tapping her fingers on the wall she was leaning on, Kagome finally pushed herself back to a standing position and walked across the space and taking up a place at the counter where Bankotsu set her beer at. Popping her foot up on her toes behind her, she leaned over the counter on her forearm and picked up the bottle. Twirling it slowly, she took a drink before cocking her head to the side. "You sure are putting a lot of trust into someone you've never met before. I could be wrong, but I don't think giving someone what you're giving me is common practice."

Taking his own swig from his bottle, Bankotsu clicked his tongue. "You're right, it's not. As a matter of fact, I've never even given someone that has paid to use this room the ability to enter it by themselves. Under normal circumstances, it's common practice that, once someone is let in here, they are locked in until such time it's safe for them to leave. Look behind you if you don't believe me, and tell me if you see a thumb scanner. The answer is no, you don't. You need my card to open it from this side. However, this isn't common practice or normal circumstances. I'm not hiding you away from the world until Taishi loses interest in what he's doing. You will still be living your life as normal, with the exception of sleeping here instead of your apartment, and the only reason this is even happening is because you said you had nowhere else to go. If you did, you wouldn't be here after tonight."

Filing all of that away, and nodding her understanding, Kagome brought her bottle to her lips and took a long drink, licking what was left on her upper lip as she hummed in her throat before a sly grin pulled at her lips. "Truth or dare?"

Cocking a brow at her, Bankotsu's lip curled. He knew what that was, but he wasn't really one to play stupid drinking games. Still, after basically forcing her to bow to his demand of how she was going to live for at least the next week while he worked something out to get her out of the safehouse, he could understand her falling back on childish games to try and make herself a little more comfortable. At least, that better be the fucking reason, or he would be pissed. Shaking his head, he huffed a sigh. "Truth."

Though her expression turned to a pout, she asked the first thing that came to mind. "What got you into security?"

Honestly, he had to think about that. There were a few reasons, but the root reason was pretty basic. "When I was a kid, like five or six, somewhere in there, this fucker broke into our house. Now, I have six older brothers, but I was home alone at the time. Scared the shit out of me, as I'm sure you can imagine. I didn't like the feeling, and I decided at that point, I never wanted to feel it again. Fast forward to when I was twelve, it happened again. My father was doing well in his job, and he bought a few nice things for me and brothers, as well as newer electronics for the whole family. There will always be people out there that want what you have, and they will take it if they can. I wasn't home that time, but it wasn't any less shitty to come home to broken windows and missing property. When I started high school, I took every technical course I could, and started to develop systems and the like, using our house as the beta project for what worked and what didn't. As the youngest of seven boys, I learned to protect myself at a relatively young age, and started to take up for the smaller kids at school. The two things combined at some point and it just kind of grew from there, I guess."

Kagome's nose was wrinkled when he was done, but it was because of what he first said. "What the fuck were you doing home alone at five or six?"

Bankotsu just shrugged. "As I said... I am the youngest of seven boys, and both our parents worked. Shit sometimes got lost in translation on which one was supposed to be keeping an eye on me at the time. It wasn't ever very long before one of them realized they were supposed to babysit and they would show back up and take me wherever they had left, but that son of a bitch just hit the sweet spot when I was there by myself. But, this was twenty years ago and I'm rich as shit because of it. I'm not really all that mad about it anymore." Bringing his bottle to his lips, he smirked into the opening. "Besides, when you are the youngest of seven boys, there is always a sick sense of pleasure that comes with watching them get their ass whooped for fucking with you until you're big enough to do it yourself. Mukotsu, my oldest brother, was the one that got it that time. To child me, it was awesome because two days before that, he locked me in a closet for three hours because his girlfriend was over."

Snorting into her beer bottle, Kagome giggle. "You were a vindictive little shit, weren't you?"

Bankotsu just pointed at his chest. "Youngest of _seven boys_. You're damn straight, but there is no were. I _am_ vindictive, and I learned that shit from them. Most of us have good relationships with each other now, but Jesus; growing up with them, there were times I wasn't even sure I was going to see adulthood."

Curiosity now peaked, she asked another question. "Why?"

Bankotsu just slowly shook his head, a grin on his lips and a spark in his eyes. "Oh, no Little Dove. That's not how this games works. I've now given you two truths, so it's your turn. Truth or dare?"

Almost wanting to kick herself for starting the game when she probably could have just asked the question and avoid the hot seat, Kagome looked at her beer bottle before finishing what was inside. By the time she set the empty down, Bankotsu replaced it with a fresh one from the fridge. Not nearly drunk enough to be given a dare by a stranger, she went with "Truth."

And Bankotsu when for the obvious one. "What the fuck were you thinking with Taishi?"

Actually feeling like a child being chastised, Kagome didn't stop the look of offence at the way the question was phrased, and she certainly didn't keep her annoyance with the same thing out of her voice. "Hey, now; I told you, we were together for two years. Most of it was good, like really good. It wasn't until the last, maybe three months it all went to shit. Prior to that, it was damn near a fucking fairytale. And.. like you don't have that one ex you regret."

Bankotsu snorted. "Oh, I have plenty of those, but see... none of them are actively trying to kill me." He paused and made a thoughtful face. "Though I'm willing to stake my entire fortune on the fact at least one of them wants to." Returning his eyes to Kagome, he titled his head slightly to the side. "Well, you got two questions, I get two. What happened?"

A very sour look over took Kagome's face as she laced her fingers together and leaned on the counter top. "Kikyou happened." At the look of confusion on Bankotsu's face, she sighed. "She was his ex-girlfriend from high school. From what I found out after the fact, it was a very amicable breakup. The only reason for the split up was because she was going away for college, and he wasn't. Long distance isn't really his thing, so they ended their relationship and it was about a year and a half later I met him. I think the most infuriating thing about it is, the day I found out about her, was the same day she found out about me. She came back three months before I ended the relationship because, like, I don't play that. If you're with me, be with me. Don't sneak around behind my back and think I have no right to be upset when I turn around and catch you.

"Anyway, so like, I get called into work and guess who's there, all cuddled up in a booth. Inuyasha and Kikyou. I'm like... well, this shit's awkward. What the fuck, dude? So, I end the relationship because like hell am I going to be your 'public girlfriend' while behind the scene Kikyou is your little kinky ho. Nuh uh, don't think so. Well, he got really pissed off because like, his dad hated her and he liked me. Said I was good for him or something like that. So really, he wasn't even interested in me once she came back into his life. He was only interested in making sure daddy didn't cut him off or whatever because she's a gold digging hussy. That was followed by this 'well, if I can't have you, no one can', and I'm like, dude... you got her. You obviously don't need me, or want me for that matter. He was all like, not the point. You're mine, and if you're not, you'll regret it. I'm like... the only thing I regret is you, you asshole. It wasn't a pretty break up, and Kikyou sat there, watching it all, with fucking amusement in her eyes. Like, bitch, you just heard him say he wants to run around on your ass too, and you think this shit is funny? You're as fucked up as he is."

Sighing and shaking her head, Kagome frowned. "Needless to say, I almost lost my job over that. I went from working six days, prime shifts, a week, to four bullshit shifts everyone hates because you hardly make anything. I lost my amazing apartment because one, I couldn't afford it anymore, and two, shit kept happening to it and I couldn't afford to keep fixing shit that came up broken. Inuyasha spun the break up to make me sound like some insecure, little twity bitch, and most people took his side without ever hearing mine. My mother, almost everytime I see her, asks me when I'm going to get over myself and beg him to take me back because he's 'such a nice boy, and would take such good care of me'." She snorted. "Yeah, Mom, and he is sure trying to."

Finishing his beer and tossing the bottle in the trash can, Bankotsu crossed his arms. "You really don't have anyone, do you?"

Slowly shaking her head, Kagome licked her lips. "I don't want to drag Miroku anymore into this, which I doubt Sango will let me anyway, and I can't expose my own little brother to the truth of what's happening. He thinks the driver of the other car, since it was late on a Saturday, was either drunk or fell asleep, and I can't burst that bubble. Sota is only seventeen, and he doesn't need to worry about this shit. He needs to worry about his finals that are coming up. So... no, not really." A humorless chuckle then bubbled from her throat. "Wow, that... that sounds really pathetic, doesn't it?"

To her surprise, Bankotsu shook his head. "Not really. Honestly, it sounds pretty normal for the situation, as fucked up as that sounds. Generally speaking, when a narcissistic asshole with insecurities out the ying yang loses the ability to control the person, they switch their focus to then control how others see that person. Little by little, the ass takes away everything and everyone, eventually leaving his victim with no choice but to come back."

Eyes crinkling in the corners, Kagome scoffed hard. "But I'm not a victim."

Bankotsu disagreed. "Yeah, Little Dove, you are. Inuyasha doesn't need to beat the shit of you to beat you down. It's called isolation, and it's a form of emotional and psychological abuse. Chances are, if you went to him right now, he would take you back. You would probably get everyone you lost back. The better paying shifts at your job. Your nice apartment. The attempts on your life would probably stop. Everything in your current nightmare would end, while a whole new one begins."

Scrubbing her face with her hands, Kagome then picked up her beer and killed the whole damn thing. Clearing her throat, she looked at the label, refusing to look at Bankotsu for the next bit of truth she gave without prompt. "I've thought about doing that. A few times, if I'm going to be honest. I mean," Flicking her eyes to his, she shrugged slightly. "Anything's gotta be better than this, right?"

While he didn't say his next thought out loud, in that moment, he realized he didn't need to save her from Taishi. He needed to save her from herself.

Rolling his spine, Bankotsu stood and took the two steps to the counter opposite Kagome. Lacing his fingers together, he leaned on the marble and locked his eyes on hers. "I can think of several things that far better, and none of them involve you going back to him."

Forehead in her palms, Kagome propped herself on her elbows, her voice low. "I just want my life back."

Clicking his tongue, he unclasped his fingers and reached out a hand. Crooking a finger under Kagome's chin, Bankotsu lifted her head so he could see her face. "That life is gone, Little Dove; so build a new one." Winking at her, he then pulled back and drummed his hands on the countertop, perking up and grinning wide. "Dare. Why the fuck not?"

Blinking at the very abrupt change in his demeanor, Kagome chuckled slightly as she too stood back up. "Um, okay. Uh... I dare you to..." Throwing her hands up, she shook her head with a smile on her face. "Do a back flip; I don't know."

Smiling at her, he moved out from behind the counter, emptying his pockets of his key and phone as he looked at her. "Hands or no hands?"

Grinning back, she made a face as she set her hands on her hips. "Can you actually do one?"

Saying nothing as he used a foot to shove a chair out of the way, he looked over his shoulder. "Hands or no hands?"

At her answer of whichever, standing in place, he just kicked his legs up, his shirt succumbing to gravity as he did so and giving Kagome a beautiful view of the defined muscles hidden beneath the cotton as Bankotsu, without so much as a grunt, turned a perfect handed backflip. Then, for good measure, did another one with no hands just to show off.

Turning back to look at her, he chuckled when he saw her eyes were locked on his torso. "Truth or dare, Little Dove?"

Never, at any point, was it Kagome's intention for things to take the turn they did when she first asked Bankotsu 'truth or dare'. She was just trying to break the ice in the air because she was uncomfortable, but over the three hours they played, they had continued to drink, and dares started to include doing some fuck shot combinations. The questions that went with 'truth' turned into ten, fifteen minute conversations, and that was nice and all, but she didn't expect to find herself seated on the kitchen counter, Bankotsu standing between her legs, his hands on the counter behind her thighs, his face an inch from hers, daring her to make the first move. She wasn't even sure how it was she ending up in this position either, but locked in his smoldering orbs, she also didn't care.

She was drunk, but did still have a few wits about her. Her bottom lip between her teeth, she looked in his blue eyes, and gulped loudly. "I meant truth."

A slow smirk pulled at the corners of Bankotsu's lips as a chuckle rumbled his chest. "Alright. Why don't you want to kiss me?"

There was a shuddered groan on the air from Kagome as she flicked her eyes to the side for a moment before looking back. "Um, the last guy I kissed is trying to kill me, so... ya know, there's that."

Though he hummed in his throat, he didn't move away as he cocked his head to the side. "You do get I don't want you dead, right? As a matter of fact, it's only going to be over my own dead body that shit happens."

Clearing the lump in her throat, Kagome tightened her fingers where they gripped the edge of the counter between her knees. "Yeah, because you need me alive to train your guys."

Grinning with a scoffed snort, Bankotsu ran his tongue along his teeth. "Well, there's that, too. Truth."

Trying, and failing miserably to regain her composure, Kagome licked her very dry lips. "Aren't you worried about tomorrow being... awkward or something?"

Very slowly, Bankotsu shook his head, the tip of his nose nuzzing with her with the action. "I very rarely worry about anything. But, if you're so concerned about the morning after being weird well... looks like I'll just have to fuck you then, too, huh?"

Kagome's voice was light and airy when she whimpered 'kami', but Bankotsu didn't let her get much else out before he spoke again. "I'm going to choose for you this time, and I dare you to tell me 'no'."

She knew what this was. This was her out, the end of the game either way she choice. If she said 'no', clearly he would stop trying to get her in bed, though she did doubt very much the comments about her ass would stop. On the other side of the coin, she knew what the consequence of denying her dare would be, and it certainly wasn't another random ass mixture of alcohol that had been the norm for both to do to the other when a question was refused or a dare was rejected.

He was leaving this up to her, and that fact alone was enough for her very healthy sex drive that had been ignored for the last nearly nine months was loudly lobbying for her decision to go one particular way.

Bankotsu watched as her thoughts flew through her expressive brown eyes. While he would absolutely back off if she told him to, he would be a liar if he said he would be happily. She had no idea what her personality did to him; her spunky, sassy, sarcasm had basically kept him rock hard for the last hour and half, so if she did take the out he gave her, there would be a very, very cold shower in his very, very immediate future. He did see the resolve harden in her eyes after a minute or so, but he had no idea which way the pendulum swung.


	5. Chapter 5

Blurry eyes opened when the most ear shattering piercing nose sounded out into the room. Feeling a shift at her back, Kagome rolled slightly to the side, looking through her lashes at Bankotsu's phone he held up and, after a moment, silenced the shrill noise coming from such a tiny device, plunging the room back into blissful silence.

Bankotsu, after dropping his phone back on the bedside table, rolled back to his side with every intention of laying with his Little Dove for a while longer before he got up to start his day, blinked at the sight of her pure pissed off face looking up at him through a sea of black hair in response to his alarm. Smiling at her as she roughly brushed her hair away from from her face, he dipped his head, pausing just before his lips touched hers. "Good morning." At the response of a grunt that was anything but an agreement, Bankotsu pressed his lips to hers with a chuckle.

Keeping the kiss completely within his control, his tongue glided along Kagome's once before he pulled back after one last peck to her lips. With soft eyes, he gave her an equally soft smile. "It's still early, Little Dove. Go back to sleep."

Thinking that sounded like a fantastic idea, Kagome shifted around, flopping about a bit until she was turned completely over and, once she was settled, she pressed her face into Bankotsu's chest with a groaned sigh.

She was an amusing thing when she was half awake, and another quiet chuckle sounded from his throat. "I have to get ready for work."

"No."

Brow rising to his bangs, Bankotsu clicked his tongue. "No?"

He felt her nod against his sternum. "Yes. No. Warm and comfy. No."

Trying one last attempt to get her to let him get out of bed, he used the hand that wasn't being held hostage under Kagome's head, and took her chin between the pad of his thumb and side of his index finger, and tilted her head back so he could see her eyes. Once she opened them, he tsked. "I have to get a shower, Kagome; unless you don't mind everyone you're going to be spending your life with for the next twelve weeks finding out what we did last night."

She saw no problems there, and said as much as she closed her eyes again. "Consenting adults are allowed to have sex."

Bankotsu's amusement came out in his voice. "Sex, huh? Is that what you call what we did last night?" Her eyes snapped open and he could almost watch as memories of their actual activities of the night before flashed through her eyes.

The more Bankotsu talked, the more awake Kagome was becoming, and the more aware of her body she was becoming. There was a deep burn on her hip where she could clearly remember actually getting bitten in the sensitive flesh low on the dip of her hip. Her scalp still had a tingle to it from having her hair pulled in the manner it was, and she didn't really want to take a guess at how big the hickey was he left on the inside of her right tit. She was also positive it would take a week or better before his hand print was no longer visible across her ass cheek. Her muscles were stiff and her back hurt from being folding damn near in half.

She did, actually, get him back for the bite to her hip by breaking skin and drawing blood from raking her nails across his back, but that then led to her hair getting pulled like it was. Dropping her eyes to look across his chest, she could clearly see she left just as many marks on him as he left on her, so really, everything they did was tit-for-tat.

No, he was right; the only way to describe what they did was they fucked... a lot.

She also felt it was worth noting to herself that, for as rough as he liked drunk fucks, and he liked it _rough_ , he was extremely generous when it came to orgasms. She had at least two for his every one, and two of the rounds she hit that peak three times before he did. She also learned he clearly loved defiance in his lovers, and the more she played coy at times, the harder his cock got, and it almost seemed like he went feral to a point when she finally gave in to his advances. Surprisingly, or not, she wasn't sure because she didn't really know him well, when one round ended, he wouldn't do a damn thing to kick start the next one until she said yes, in some form or fashion. He let her do whatever she wanted to him, whenever she wanted, with the exception of one thing, but he wouldn't do shit to her without her permission.

The one thing, and one thing only, she found out Bankotsu didn't care for, or at least didn't care for _her_ to do, was put his dick in her mouth. She tried it once pretty early on in the night. They had already had two rounds, and after a bit of a break to catch their breaths from that, and get something to drink, she had wanted to return the favor he bestowed on her several times at that point. But, before she was able to do more than just give the indication that was what she was going to do, she only got as far down his body as his belly button before his hands hooked under her arms, he hoisted her back up his body, rolled them over so he was above her, and looked her dead in the eyes as he shook his head. It was his words, though, that soaked the sheets beneath her.

" _Nuh uh. The only place my dick goes, is in your tight little pussy."_

Just the memory of the deepness of his voice and the hunger in his eyes in that moment had Kagome squeezing her thighs just a little tighter together.

Even still, she was still drunk, she was tired, and she was sore; so instead of gracefully allowing Bankotsu to start his day, even knowing she still had to do what she was supposed to do the night before as well, there was a level of petulance when she huffed out a 'fine'. She didn't just roll over so he could get up either, but actually shifted a foot away from him and yanked the blanket over her head since she was now facing the windows.

Well, that certainly was not what he was going for, especially when he saw her already dark eyes darken more with desire. Rolling his eyes to the ceiling, he contemplated his options before turning his attention back to his Little Dove. Shifting his own position, he grabbed the cover that was over her head and flung it down to the foot of the bed before wrapping his arm around her still gloriously naked body, pulling her back to him. Maneuvering her to her back, he perched himself half over her, his own eyes igniting as he locked them on hers. "Ya know, you can shower with me. The water to soothe your muscles. My cock to soothe that growing ache with the added benefit of getting rid of that pesky morning after awkwardness you were so concerned about last night. No downside, really."

Looking up at him through her lashes, Kagome actually giggled to try and dispel the feeling of awkward that was starting to bloom in her chest. This was actually the morning after awkward she had been referring to. It's not several hours later when you're still together for whatever reason, but that first half hour you're still in bed, still naked, with the memory of very recent events fresh in your mind. The morning after awkward was something she could normally avoid because, even with Inuyasha, she always at least put on panties when they were done.

She didn't do that last night. She was so worn out by the time she and Bankotsu passed out, she was actually pretty sure she zonked out cold while he was still buried inside her, and she couldn't say with certainty she didn't pass out before he finished that final time. Putting something on after the fact also came with the added complication of the fact she told him yes in the kitchen area, and she was pretty sure that was where her clothes still were because, round one was actually on the fucking kitchen counter.

So, after taking stock of her situation, she realized that she was still naked, next to an equally naked guy she did untold things with not four hours, skin to skin, with his rapidly waking dick poking her in the hip with him looking at her like he wanted to devour her.

She couldn't have put herself in a more compromising or fucked up position if she actively tried.

So, instead of drawing attention any of that, or as little as she could, she grinned at him. "You're all about making this mutually beneficial, aren't you?"

Running his tongue along the back of his teeth, he then tsked. "With you? Sure, but think about it, Little Dove. The better we... get along, early on, the easier a lot of shit will be later when it matters."

Grinning wider, there was a level of laughter in her voice. "Get along? Is that what you're going with? We're getting along?"

Kagome watched something spark in the back of Bankotsu's eyes as a pretty dark smirk pulled at his lips. "Yeah, it is actually. If you thought last night got a little rough, well, Baby, just wait until we fuck while I'm mad at you."

A tremor danced down Kagome's spine, but she wasn't sure exactly how to describe the feeling that went with it. It certainly wasn't bad, but she was slightly terrified when her stomach clenched because she had never thought she would _like_ someone like Bankotsu. That extremely self-assured attitude had always been something of a turn off for her, but at the moment, she was slightly hard pressed to keep her own hands to herself.

Trying to keep _some_ kind of ladylike composure, she lightly cleared the roughness from her own voice as she cocked a brow. "You make it sound like we're gonna do something like last night again."

Dipping his head, the tip of his nose touched the tip of hers, and he didn't do anything to cover of his desire for the woman beneath him. "Often. The word you're looking for isn't 'again'; it's often."

This mother fucker was going to be the death of her.

Biting the tip of her tongue, she made a noise in the back of her throat. "You have to be the cockiest son of a bitch I have ever met."

Lifting a brow, Bankotsu, very pointedly, looked down his body at his 'cockiness', and flicked his eyes back to Kagome's, looking at her through his lashes. "Thanks."

Closing her eyes, Kagome let out a hard breath as she covered her face with both her hands. "For the Gods." Opening her eyes and looking through her fingers when she heard his deep chuckle, she clicked her tongue. "You're doing this on purpose."

Bankotsu just shrugged. "You're opening the door for me to do it, so what's that say about you?" Winking at her when she glared at him, he then grinned. "So... shower?"

Well, she certainly wasn't going back to sleep now. However, she did make it look like she actually put some thought into the answer before she nodded. "Sure. I'll be right behind you."

Eyes boring into hers, Bankotsu licked his lips. "You're acting like I haven't seen, touched, kissed, or licked every inch of your body, Kagome." Finally, he was rewarded with a dusty blush spreading across her cheeks. However, when she cleared her throat, he sighed and rolled over and to his feet. Glancing back her, he smirked when her eyes were roaming along his back. "Don't be long."

Kagome gave a absentminded nod as she watched him walk toward the bathroom. When he vanished from her sights, she moved her eyes to the ceiling, a quiet sigh slipping passed her lips. She didn't lay there long, only enough for the burning in her face to dissipate, but it was much needed alone time to try and get a handle on the situation she put herself in the night before. Most of what she did with him was because she was drunk. She didn't regret her decision, but she was now slightly worried about his expectations if she did get in bed with him again. Would he expect the same shit? Would he realize she wasn't actually a fan of certain positions and she certainly didn't like being pinned down like she let him last night?

Making a face at the ceiling, she wrinkled her nose before rolling out of the bed, catching her balance when her knees shook slightly. She supposed, if it did happen again, she would find out then.

Lacing her fingers together and raising her arms above her head, she stretched out her back, popping her spine, and heading to the bathroom where she heard Bankotsu turning on the shower. A quick detour for their clothes that were strewn all over the damn place in the kitchen, she didn't make it much further than the door to the bathroom when she was met with the full frontal view of a very naked Bankotsu.

Looking over his shoulder in the mirror, he didn't just count ten welts from all ten of her fingers, but they were all also peppered with scabs from where the skin was broken. Some of the welts and scabs disappeared into the tattoos he had on his back, but he was perfectly capable of following the lines left behind. Still, there was a wide smirk on his face when Bankotsu shifted his gaze in the reflection to look at Kagome, who finally decided to join him. "Damn, Baby do you have any idea, how bad this shit is gonna burn later when I'm done sobering up?"

It was in incredibility Kagome looked back at him. Completely ignoring the fact he called her Baby, just like she ignored the Baby when they were still in bed, she shifted their clothes to one arm, jutted her unmarked hip out, and pointed to the actual bite mark he left in a very inconvenient spot. "I don't know; about as bad as this, perhaps?"

Turning his head back around to actually face her, he looked where he was directed to, wincing slightly as his lips pursed and nose wrinkled at the sight of a deep bite mark left right on her panty line. After a moment of piecing together in his own mind which happened first, and realizing he did that to her before she did what she did to him, he grunted in his throat. "Alright, I deserved it." Closing the distance between them, without warning, reached down and, grabbing Kagome by the back of her thighs and hoisting her into his arm, their clothes hitting the floor when her arms went around his neck. Putting her back against the wall next to the door, he leaned into her, his head slightly tilted to the side. "Let me make it up to you."

A quiet groan sounded in Kagome's throat as she hooked her ankles behind Bankotsu's back and shifted slightly, only in an attempt to alleviate a stabbing twinge in her hip, but once she was successful with that, as she settled back onto his forearms, she inadvertently positioned herself over and then dropped down onto the head of Bankotsu's manhood. The unexpected stretching of her still very sore opening was enough to rip a screech from her throat.

And Bankotsu's reaction was instant.

Before the clear sound of pain was fully given life, Bankotsu hoisted Kagome off of him and holding her up as he looked at her pinched face. Or, more to the point, the tear in the corner of her eye. That small, glistening drop was a clear answer, but it was habit when someone made a noise like that. "Are you alright?"

Voice high and breath hitched, Kagome's eyes were squeezed shut and without much thought, she dug her nails into Bankotsu's shoulders. Though the action did pull a grunt from him, it went ignored by Kagome as she whimpered. "Ouch." Face still pinched as she cracked her eyes open, she licked her lips as she shook her head. "No...I can't. It hurts."

Continuing to hold her up, Bankotsu let out a breath through his nose from the pain in his shoulders where Kagome's nails were still embedded. "I have an idea." Continuing to hold her out of what was discovered to be harm's way, he turned and carried her over to the counter, sitting her far enough back she was in no danger of a repeat of what just happened. Opening the linen closet that was next to the counter, he grabbed a towel and, after wrapping it around his hips, went over to the tub and switched the water from the shower head to the facet to allow it to start to fill.

Having done that, he then returned to Kagome sitting on the counter, setting his hands on the stone to either side of her, bending at the waist and giving her a small smile. "Relax, soak for a bit, and I'll see you downstairs later."

While that sounded amazing, there was a problem. "How would I get out of here? You said there wasn't a way out."

He had a ready answer, and a set of instructions. "I did not say there wasn't a way out. I said there wasn't a scanner. I'll leave you my keycard on the kitchen counter. Next to the sliding door there is a slightly discolored spot. You might have to look for it because it's not obvious. Press the card flat against that spot to open the door, and press your thumb to the scanner on the other side to close it. At the bottom of the stairs, press the pound key, followed by 7672136, then the pound button again. My office is to the left."

Nodding slowly, Kagome ran that through her mind a few times before speaking. "7672136?"

Nodding slowly with a click of his tongue, Bankotsu glanced up before he looked back at her. "Yeah. That is my code for the whole building. You only get one try before you shut this whole place down, and you cannot imagine the level of sheer pissed off I will become if that happens. The time and resources it takes to get this place back up and running after a security breach would make your head spin, so if you forget it, you need to call me."

A frown formed on Kagome's lips. "You're doing it again."

Licking his lip and sighing, Bankotsu cocked his head. "Doing what?"

Giving a small shake of her head, she clicked her tongue. "You just gave your master code to someone you met at a bar... last night. You don't think it's stupid to give something so important to someone you don't know?"

With an exaggerated eye roll, Bankotsu looked at her with a deadpanned expression. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it is, but I'm a firm believer in giving someone just enough rope to hang themselves to see what they do with it. For now, pay attention because it's the most important thing I will ever tell you. Nevermind the fact that if you use my codes for something other than intended I won't hesitate to shoot you in the face, you are trusting me with the most precious thing to you; your very survival. Even for what it is, this arrangement has to be based on that trust. There will very likely come a time you will have to blindly follow my instructions, because if you don't, you will get hurt. If I'm unwilling to show you you can actually do that, why would you?" Clearing his throat, "as for giving you my code, by the time you get downstairs, I'll have one for you set up so you won't need mine anymore."

Brows creasing, Kagome licked her lips. "I didn't know that."

Banktosu just shrugged as he pushed himself to stand up. "Then why don't you just... stop. I don't need you to point out we just met, Little Dove. I'm perfectly aware of this. I am also perfectly aware of the fact, you're uncomfortable, and not just because of the remnants of last night. No one likes to be in a situation they have so little control over, and what little control you had over it, I took away from you. The last thing you had, the safety and security of your _home_ , I took away from you last night when I told you someone was there waiting for you. I am perfectly aware I am asking a lot of you with offering, in comparison, very little in return. However, in order for me to do my job effectively, there has to be give _and_ take, not just one or the other. I'm asking you to put a lot of trust in me. So just... shut up and let me show you, you can."

Fingers digging into the hair on the back of her head, raking her nails across her scalp with a slight wince, Kagome sighed quietly. "I'm sorry, it's just..."

When she trailed off, Bankotsu crooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head back. Once he caught her eye, he then leaned toward her, but stopped shy of their noses touching. "I get it, Kagome; I do." Pulling back and moving his hand, he set them back on the counter. "The last guy you trusted like I'm asking you to trust me turned out to be much different than you thought, and shattered that shit. I understand that. Twice now I have pointed out my ability to actually succeed where he's failing so miserably. I understand that, too. What you need to understand is, I don't hide behind a false facade. What you see is exactly what you get. I am, literally, always an asshole. I don't play games with those I have a relationship with, beit personal, business, or otherwise. I can't; not with the stakes as high as they are by the time I get involved."

She looked at him through her lashes. "Your reputation, right?"

To her surprise, he shook his head. "My reputation is mine to protect, and not everyone is a fan of how I choose it do that. But, that's a moot point. While it's my reputation that brings people to me, the last thing those same people give a damn about is preserving that reputation. The fact is, I don't play games because the time I'm brought into someone's bullshit, their actual life is at stake... or at least they think it is. Like I said last night, that's not really for me to decide. But when it comes to you, I know for point certain, yours is. Now, you called me cocky earlier, and I am here to tell you, it's not cockiness or arrogance when I say I am the best at what I do. I'm not just good at my job, I'm fucking astounding at it."

Kagome gave a shallow nod at that. "So I gathered. But, why are you telling me all this?"

Bankotsu's voice lowered. "Because it's all connected. I told you there is a reason behind everything I do, and the reason behind this is, in order for me to do my job effectively, I _need_ you to actually trust me. As I said before, there will come a time you will have to blindly do it. If I can make that kind of point blank demand of you with a straight face, I can certainly provide you with some kind of proof I have a vested interest in this. Normally, that proof comes in the form of an assload of money, but since that's not in play here, I have to get a little more creative with the incentive."

Kagome, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth as she watched Bankotsu turn and walk over to the tub, shutting off the water before it overflowed, better taking in her handy work. She really did do a number on his back, and now she was a little upset she was so fucking sore. Running her tongue over her lip to soothe it, she flicked her eyes to his when he turned back. "And you decided the best incentive was to give up the all access pass?"

Crossing his arms, Bankotsu nodded. "Every client should feel we have the same stake in what they want from us as they have coming to us. Just because this is a more outside the box arrangement than what is normal around here, doesn't mean you shouldn't feel as though there is any less vested interest in you as there is for someone that dropped ten grand or better. If I have to cough up the keys to the kingdom to show I'm going to take your situation just as seriously as I would take anyone else's, than so be it, I don't care. As long as in the end you understand that just because you're not paying cash for my services doesn't mean you're going to get any less than anyone else. There are linguistics to figure out, that goes without saying, and I'll start working on those when I get in my office. For now, Little Dove, don't focus so much on each individual event that occurs. It's all part of a much bigger picture."

When she nodded, Bankotsu moved through the room, stopping and looking back at her over his shoulder at the door. "Take your time. I got a lot of shit to set up for you this morning before I can really do anything else. Enjoy the bath, and I'll see you later."


	6. Chapter 6

" _This fucker is an amature at best. There is evidence everywhere._ "

Bankotsu snorted into the phone. "Figured that would be the case. The moron didn't even know how to hide from a fucking table lamp."

There was a short pause before a crash came through the phone, followed by Ryu's voice. " _Uh oh... what's this?"_

Having no desire at the moment to play the man's games, Bankotsu sighed hard. "You tell me."

" _Not usually the choice of weapon for a hired hitman. .38s are fucking loud. The hell is Taishi doing? Killing on a budget? There is no way last night wouldn't have caught someone's attention, and there is no way a dipshit that uses a .38 revolver wouldn't out the bastard to save his own ass."_ There was another crash followed by a sigh. " _And this place is a mess."_

"Was it tantrum because she didn't go home last night, or was he looking for something?"

" _My gut says both, Boss. And I'm going to say one certainly has to do with the other. Taishi is gonna know what's been going on with Dove since she ended their relationship, so he would know the dire straights she's in as far as having somewhere else to go. I'm going to say, when she didn't end up coming home last night, the guy in here went looking for anything he could find that would tell him where she is."_

"Dove will be in my office with me for the next several hours. I want you to put in a call to Yura. Have her and her crew come in and take care of it." Hearing the sound of heels clicking across the stone floors, his eyes then shifted to his cell that was on his desk when it chimed. Seeing the notification of the use of his security code, He turned his head and waited for Kagome to appear. When she did, he cut the conversation with Ryu short. "Do your job, and call me when you're done."

There was a chuckle in his ear before Ryu's voice came through. " _One dead wannabe hitman coming right up, Boss."_

With his sights on Kagome, there was a darkness in his eyes she didn't catch from across the room, but the smirk on his face could be seen from space. "Be in touch." With nothing else to say, Bankotsu hung up the phone before leaning back in his seat. "Feel better?"

Arms wrapped around her stomach, wearing the same clothes, including the same underwear, she wore the night before, Kagome actually had to take a moment to consider that answer before she lifted a shoulder. "Physically, yeah."

Bankotsu, who had showered in his office and changed into a pair of clean black slacks and dark blue silk button down with the top three buttons undone and sleeves rolled to his elbows, held a hand out to the chairs on the other side of his desk before he laced his fingers together over his stomach. "Well, at least that's a step in the right direction, isn't it?"

Nodding to the invitation to have a seat, Kagome made her way across Bankotsu's expansive office, letting her eyes roam the space and take in the many hung accolades and photographs that lined the walls. The first thing you notice when you walked in was the entire wall of windows along the back. Furniture wise, there wasn't a lot. To the left, and facing the center of the room, was Bankotsu's large wooden desk with two chairs in front of it and a long table with a bar set up on it along the wall behind it. On the other side of the room there was an electrical fireplace with a big flat screen TV hanging above it. From where she was, it looked like an overstuffed couch with a coffee table that matched his desk between them. Other than that, there was normal office shit; filing cabinets, book shelves, things of that nature.

After setting Bankotsu's keycard on his desk, and though still something of an uncomfortable endeavour, she crossed her legs as she took a seat in the closer of the two chairs, and wrapped her laced fingers around her knee. Finishing committing the layout of the office to memory, she then turned her attention to Bankotsu, who was just sitting in his own seat watching her.

There was a smirk on his lips and a slight chuckle in his voice. "I see you have taken my advice to heart about making sure you know what's going on around you."

Lifting both shoulders, Kagome smiled a little. "Well, it's... more curiosity, actually. I mean, yeah to a point you're right, but it's really just... I've never been in a place like this before, and... and it really sucks it has to be under the circumstances I get to see it. Like, you said the apartment upstairs is a just a safehouse, right?" When he gave one nod in answer, she shook her head. "And that blows my mind. That is the nicest place I have ever stayed and like, it just sits there, completely empty, for Kami only knows how long before it's used for a few days, maybe a week or something like that, just to be ignored again until it's needed."

Lips twisting at the side, and using one foot, Bankotsu slowly rocked his chair. "It gets used more often than you think. I use it at least a few times a months when I just don't wanna make the drive home, though I find it odd you seem to think a studio apartment is nicer than the Taishi manor."

Kagome made a face as she shrugged. "I didn't say that. I said it was the nicest place I've stayed, not the nicest I've been. But, anything even remotely close to it is pretty far out of my price range. As for the manor, I lived on my own before I met Inuyasha, and we always stayed at my place over his dad's house."

When Bankotsu lifted a brow, Kagome licked her lips. "You might have gotten along with Sesshoumaru, but I never did and what's more is, neither did Inuyasha, though for two completely different reasons. I went to the manor for a handful of events and holidays over the two years we were together, but that was it and not even that in over a year. The last time I was at the manor was for an Easter thing last year."

Then she settled more into her seat and clicked her tongue. "Besides, I never really liked going there. Sesshoumaru aside, there was always this... oppressive feeling in the air. On top of the fact it literally felt you weren't allowed to touch anything, and there was barely even a tolerance when it came to walking across the floor, I never actually felt welcome; and chances are because of my lacking social status, I probably wasn't."

Bankotsu just looked at Kagome for a long moment, not saying anything, just thinking... remembering. He could recall what it was like in that place. When he was buddies with Sesshoumaru, he was just a high school kid from the working class, and treated like something of a pest. If a male was looked at like an unworthy pest, he could only imagine what a working female would be treated like when they dated one of the brothers.

After a minute of thought, he nodded as he reached out and picked up two folders off his desk. "Understood. Now..." Holding up the folder in the right hand, "this is a two bedroom, two story townhouse." Holding up the one in the left, "this is a fourteenth floor, two bedroom condo. Both of them have twenty-four security provided by yours truly." Putting both folders together, he held them out to Kagome. "Take your pick."

Blinking repeatedly in shock, Kagome didn't make a move to take the offering, and it took her several seconds to say anything at all. When she did, it was a pretty high pitched, " _What?_ "

Grinning wide enough to show off his teeth, Bankotsu held his arms out to the side. "Pick one. It's not that difficult." Dropping his arms on the rests of her chair, he just kept grinning. "After what I found at your place last night, there is not a force on this Earth that will convince me to let you go back to that shit hole apartment of yours."

Kagome just shook her head hard, still refusing to take the folders Bankotsu dropped on his desk. "I have that shit hole apartment because I refused to move home and listen to my mother, and it was all I could afford after I got fucked at work. If I can barely afford that 'shit hole', I certainly can't afford a townhouse or condo in a high rise."

Not moving his arms, Bankotsu just leaned forward and whispered. "You don't have to." Sitting back in his seat again, he propped his ankle on his knee. "These properties are owned by this company. I actually have several more throughout the major cities in the country, but these two were chosen due to their proximity to this building in the case of the condo, and my home in the case of the townhouse. The apartment upstairs isn't equipped for long term occupancy, and this building is not zoned for, nor does it carry any legal allowances, to be used as a residence. That means you cannot stay here for an undetermined amount of time, and I said not two minutes ago, you're not going back to your apartment." Only because of the look she gave him did he backtrack slightly. "At least not anytime soon. You can be pissed off about it if you want, but in my professional opinion, unless you have a gun, and know how to use it, I certainly wouldn't suggest it knowing there was a man waiting for you there barely more than twelve hours ago."

Scrubbing at her face a few times with her hands, Kagome slouched in her seat for a ten count before sitting up, leaning forward, and picking up the two folders Bankotsu had held out to her. Holding them in her hands, she frowned deep before flicking her eyes to his. "So much for not hiding and living life as normal, huh?"

Lifting a hand, Bankotsu propped his chin in his palm. "You're not and you will. I did say I wasn't going to hide you away from the world until he loses interest, but I never said I wouldn't make it more difficult for him to find you."

A spark of annoyance lit in Kagome's eyes. "And that doesn't come across as 'semantics' to you?"

Baknotsu shook his head. "Nope. Look, I knew you weren't going to be a fan of this from the get go. There will be several things we discuss today that are likely going to make you mad, but the thing you need to keep in mind is, it's all designed to keep you safe. As far as this goes, it's simple. They'll keep checking your apartment, you'll keep not being there, and probably sooner than you think, they'll leave it alone and you can go home. None of this is permanent, Little Dove; you have my word. It's all short term solutions that will become a long term fix."

Kagome remained silent for a time, and it was her thoughtful silence that had Bankotsu offering the alternative he came up with. "The only option you have in order for you to remain in your apartment," waiting for her to look back at him, he continued. "Is agreeing to a set of five rules that do not have any wiggle room. You either agree to all of it, or none of it. They are also subject to change or be added to without notice." When she nodded, he licked his lips. "One, you never enter it alone. Either myself or one of my guys _always_ goes in first to check dark corners, closets, under the bed, under the couch, even behind the fucking fridge if they feel it's necessary. Just one time you enter that place alone, and our deal is off. If you will not let us do our jobs, we will not do our jobs, and you are on your own.

"Two, once the place is deemed clear, no one comes, and you don't leave. Someone will be sitting within view of your door for the duration of your stay, especially if you're home for the night. You will know where they are and who they are, so if you somehow end up needing help, you'll know where to find it.

"Three, I call, you answer. I don't care if I wake you up or interrupt your shower. If you don't, I promise you, someone will be kicking in your front door to find out why.

"Four, one time... just one time something is discovered to be amiss, you're out of there.

"For now, finally," looking her dead in the eyes, "I get a key."

Doing nothing to hide the shock that came with that statement, Kagome reared back and blinked. "A key? You want a key?"

Twisting his chair from side to side, Bankotsu grinned. "Is there a problem with that?"

Shaking her head, Kagome shrugged. "No, it's just... a little weird you want a key to a place you don't even want me to go."

"And it's because I don't want you there I want a key." Changing his position and crossing his arms, Bankotsu laid it out. "While I'm perfectly capable of doing so, I don't have time to pick your locks every time I swing by to check on the place. That comes more from a place of convenience rather than necessity."

It was that, that really kicked started Kagome's ability to think through her hangover. "And that's another thing I really don't get." Looking at Bankotsu, her lip curled and she crossed her own arms after tossing the two folders she still held on the desk. "I have neighbours on all sides, and they all know I live alone. The guy below me hasn't left his apartment in like a year. The couple that lives in the apartment to the right both work from home, so they're almost always there, and the lady that lives on the other side is a kept woman."

Unable to stop it before it happened, Bankotsu barked out a laugh. "Not a very well kept one if that's there she's being put up." When she leveled him with a glare, he put his hands up, his amusement still in his voice. "My apologies. You were saying?"

Glared held in place for a moment longer, Kagome did let in him on her thoughts. "What I was saying was, how the hell are they getting in without being noticed by my neighbors? I can't imagine anyone being able to pick a lock as fast as you could get in with a key, yet they're able to without anyone seeing them? I don't leave either the deadbolt or the handle unlocked when I leave, and there is no window they can get in through. There are only four since I don't have an end apartment. The front two are paned and don't open, and the two in my bedroom at the back are painted shut and can't be opened, even from the inside."

Once again, Bankotsu snorted. "Your building manager isn't too concerned with fire codes, is he?"

Kagome grunted. "My building manager isn't concerned about a lot, actually. It's not like I haven't told him about either the window issue, or the fact someone was breaking in. It came down to filing a police report and them telling him he was legally required to install deadbolts to the door of every unit just to have that."

Face pinching slightly, Bankotsu made a noise in his throat. "And yet... you're sitting here demanding to be allowed to stay in an apartment you know isn't safe when I have provided you with two viable alternatives. You're right, it takes longer to pick a lock than it does to use a key. Even those with extensive experience in it take at least twice the amount of time, per lock, to unlock something. So, if it takes you thirty seconds to open your front door, it would take a full minute for someone else that actually knows what they're doing, and Kami only knows how long for someone who doesn't. Since the guy last night was caught inside, I'm betting he's one of the latter. And, I hate to be the one to point this out, but there is the actual possibility your building manager was paid off and he gave them a key because he's pissed off about having to pay for and install deadbolts to thirty apartment units. I won't go as far as accusing him of knowing _why_ they wanted in your apartment, but I will go as far as saying he didn't do anything about the break-ins, because he knew about them before you did."

Every hurdle she overcame not to throw up that morning from the amount she drank last night became all for not by the time Bankotsu was done talking. Skin pale and clammy, she clamped her hand over her mouth as her stomach revolted at his words. "I never thought of that."

Bankotsu, seeing the signs of her likelihood of puking, leaned to the side and pushed the wastebasket that was next to his desk into her view before settling back in his seat. "It's not your job to think of shit like that. It is, however, mine. Regardless of the validity, it is something that has to be considered. Every dollar that slumlord had to spend to adhere to the law turned into a reason not to like you; giving him several hundred if not thousands. Even if he didn't give them a key prior to the police order, he very well could have after the fact, because the office always has a spare key to every lock in the complex for a laundry list of reasons, and it's not that hard to make copies.

"You also brought up your neighbors and them knowing when you moved in, you were moving in alone. It doesn't make sense that not one of them didn't see someone entering your apartment at some point over the last three months. If they knew you were living alone, and they saw someone entering your apartment, why wouldn't they say something to you, or ask who it was, or be normal neighbors and ask when you got a boyfriend? If no one else, the kept woman would have simply because, as a rule, they are pretty isolated so their activities don't get back to the man's wife. For that reason, kept women are some of the nastiest, nosiest fucking women on the planet, because they generally look for someone else in their position so they have someone who understands them with the added bonus of having someone to gripe about the wife to. And yet, not even she has something to say about a strange man entering a single woman's apartment?" Pausing a moment, he then shrugged. "I went to your apartment for the first time last night. I pulled out a loaded gun at your front door. No one so much as moved their curtains. Looking at this from a logical standpoint, it would appear there is something going on there. Looking at it from my position, it doesn't look like anything good. Now, with all that in mind, do you agree to my terms, or not?"

Truly believing she was going to vomit, Kagome closed her eyes and let out a long, slow breath from her nose. Never, not once, did she consider any of that, and the implication that there could be others from her everyday life involved, and not just perfect strangers, put her on the verge of an actual panic attack.

Standing from his chair, Bankotsu moved around his desk when he heard the change to Kagome's breathing, and knelt next to the chair she was sitting in. Setting his hand on her leg and giving it a squeeze so she would look at him, he looked up at her with as calm of an expression as he was capable of, and kept his voice level. "I'm really not trying to scare you. I'm just pointing things out you need to be made aware of if we're going to do this your way. You want to stay in your apartment, fine, we can make that work, but you have to be willing to make some contentions here. I told you yesterday I can only make you as safe as you are willing to make yourself. If you want to remain in a place you know isn't safe for you to be, well... this is shit you need to know so plans can be made accordingly."

Kagome's voice was soft and carried the tears she wouldn't let fall from her eyes as she spoke behind her hand. "You really think my neighbors could be involved?"

He was quick to shake his head. "No, not like that. But, I'm a new face at that complex. I have literally never been there before in my life. I pulled out a _gun_ , and no one bats an eye? I don't think they're involved to help, but I do think they were paid off to stay out of it." He kept to himself that was all but a guarantee with the way Ryu said her apartment looked, and the fact he himself made a hell of a lot of noise, and there was no interest or inquiries by anyone that lived around her.

The first tear since he met her the night prior slipped from the corner of Kagome's eye as she looked away, missing the darkening of his blue orbs at the sight. For the first time she could ever remember, she was scared stiff. It was one thing when it was just random, but it was quite another to realize she really didn't have any help. If what he said was true, and her neighbors had seen someone enter her apartment, and they said nothing? How many times had they turned a blind eye? How much was her life worth to them?

Dragging her fingers across her lips, she hen licked to wet them, and after letting out a hard breath, turned back to Bankotsu. "I don't know what to do."

Squeezing her leg just a little tighter, Bankotsu smiled at her. "Well, lucky for you, I do. Do you have to work today?" When she shook her head, he nodded. "Perfect. Now, while I can keep you safe at your place, it would be better for your sanity, if you stayed someplace else for at least a few nights. So, later this afternoon, after we go over what we need to go over, and after I introduce you to the guys, I am personally going to escort you to your apartment where you are going to pack a bag. Where I take you after that, is up to you. I can either bring you back here for the night, one of the two places in the folders, or..." it was then he smirked. "You can stay with me at my house tonight." When she cut her eyes away, he chuckled as he stood back up. "You have until we get to your place to decide, deal?"

Kagome just nodded. "I'll think about it."

Nodding back to her, he then went back to his own seat behind his desk. "I put in a call to my mechanic. He called around and found your car. It's going to be taken to his shop where he's going to go over it with a fine tooth comb, and make sure there is no other tamperings than the breaks. If there is, he'll document it for you before he fixes everything that's wrong with it, and fits it with a tracking device."

When her eyes widened and her lips parted, he held up a finger and cut in again before her moving lips could form a word. "Don't read more into that than there actually is. For now, I don't want anyone else to know about our arrangement, and the guys are training. They will have to learn to tail someone without being obvious about it, so I will be in the car with them, and if they get caught at a light you don't, we will need to know where to find you. Before you ask, yes; that is a common practice here. If it is going to take Doshi forever and a day to fix your car, we'll talk about you using one of the company's for the time being, which will also have a tracking device."

Flopping back in her seat with a sniffle, Kagome shook her head. "This is fucking ridiculous."

Tapping the pads of his thumbs together, Bankotsu hummed. "What is?"

Her voice was, once again, slightly hysterical. "This!" Shaking her head, she grunted. "All of this. The fact someone can hate someone else so much over a simple break up they want to kill that person."

Bankotsu waved a hand. "To be honest, I don't think this has anything to do with hate. I think it's a combination of two things. The first is the age old 'if I can't have you, no one can' tripe, and I think you know something, or at least he thinks you do regardless of if you actually do. Two years is a long time. There are a lot of conversations you would have overheard, and that becomes a problem when he can't keep an eye on you to make sure you keep those conversations to yourself."

Voice rising, Kagome shot out of her seat. "But I don't! I swear I don't. Yeah, his dad is a shady bastard, but it's not like I stood outside his study looking for the reason behind it."

Bankotsu was left with little to do but shrug. "Desperation rarely involved truth, Little Dove. What the truth is, doesn't matter. All that matters is what he thinks is true."

Still standing, Kagome dropped her face into her hands, her body shaking as she fought to keep her emotions in check. "I'm so sorry to drag you into this."

Standing from his chair and sliding around his desk, Bankotsu took a seat on his desk in front of Kagome, and after grabbing her wrists to move her hands from her face, he used his grip to pull her to him. Setting his hands on her hips, he sighed through his nose and looked her in the eyes. "You didn't drag me into shit. All you wanted from me last night was a handful of answers to some pretty basic questions. You tried to walk away, and I wouldn't let you. I involved myself, for a few different reasons, so you can stop this sorry crap right now. Let me be clear, if I didn't want to help you, I wouldn't. Everything I've come up with this morning isn't even about the agreement we came to last night. Yeah, I absolutely detest Inuyasha Taishi, but the fact of the matter is, you can't prove, to me or anyone, he's even involved in this. You've even said as much, and you're right. All you have are your suspicions, and while I think you're right, there is no proof. For all the chances it is him, you could also have a very pissed off stalker. While all the signs point to Inuyasha, since this didn't start until several weeks after you two broke up, and there was a break after you moved, so the chance it could be someone else needs to be considered as well."

Pausing for a moment, he tucked his bottom lip over his teeth, running his tongue along it, and considered his words carefully before he spoke again. "Also... though generally it's pretty uncommon for someone to have two psychos after them, it's not completely unheard of either. It could have been him at the start, and you moved you could have caught the eye of someone else." When he heard her whine in her throat, he tightened his fingers on her hips and leaned in, setting his forehead against hers. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, I promise, but I'm also not going to lie to you. While I really do think you're right, it would be a disservice to not consider something else as well."

Leaning back and shaking her head, Kagome turned her eyes down and to the side. "Now do you see why I said this is ridiculous?"

He nodded, his head tilting to the side. "I didn't disagree with you. It is, you're absolutely right. But, you were wrong in saying you drug me into something. I don't do shit I don't wanna do and, when it comes to something I do wanna do? Very little is going to stop me. Be it Inuyasha or a perfect fucking stranger you have never actually met, I am going to protect you. And, _when_ I find out who's behind this shit, Kami help whoever it is."


	7. Chapter 7

So attuned to his surroundings, even without looking up from what he was reading, Bankotsu knew when he was no longer alone in his office. Though he put a little effort into it, he didn't completely keep the amusement from his voice or his face. "So, I hear you had a rather... interesting day at work, Little Dove."

There was a very dark glare on Kagome's face for the man kicked up at his desk, his feet crossed at the ankle on the corner with a folder in his hands. He didn't even spare her a glance, so he had yet to see her should be crisp, jet black uniform was still covered in all manner of nasty from temper tantrum thrown by a customer over a sliver of onion. He might not have been the one to throw the plate of food in her face, but he was the one that was basically laughing at her because of it. "Fuck you, dude." Crossing her arms as she made her way across Bankotsu's office, she plopped down in the chair on the other side, glare still in place. "I hate my fucking job. If it wasn't for the fact I need it to pay for my apartment, that I'm not even currently living in, I would have quit today."

Not looking away from the application he was reviewing, Bankotsu clicked his tongue. "That's not something you get to bitch to me about." Flicking just his eyes, he looked at the now silent onna before looking back at the seven page application. "I offered to buy you out of your lease, more than once, and you told me no. You don't get to complain to me about dealing with what it takes to keep it."

Completely unable to figure out what part of what he said was more shocking, Kagome just sat there, staring at him with slightly wide eyes. He wasn't wrong; he had made the offer twice over the last ten days, but she hadn't thought he was serious. The first time was four days after their first in-depth discussion in Bankotsu's office, and when she started staying at one of the company's properties.

She hadn't been out of her apartment for an hour. All she did was make a run to the market and stopped for something to eat on the way back. As per her agreement with Bankotsu, she didn't go in alone, nor did she go in first. Over the days leading up to the event, she learned exactly what was meant by she would be spending an exorbitant amount of time with Bankotsu. The only time she was not in his actual presence or direct line of sight was when she was at work, and that afternoon was no exception. He was with her in her apartment before she went to the store, and he was with her when she got back.

As what had become normal, Kagome handed over her keys and let Bankotsu unlock and open the door. Not once since he started staying with her at her 'shit hole' had there been an issue, but that changed when they got back from just running an errand. Her door, that Bankotsu had personally locked on their way out, was unlocked when they got back.

He kept her close as he searched every inch of the apartment with his gun drawn, but when there was no one present, and nothing was disturbed, to him it seemed much more about delivering a message than it was anything else. He wouldn't tell her what that message was, but it was clear he was not happy about it. After reminding her of rule number four and sending her to her room to 'pack her shit', he had stepped outside, on his phone, and hadn't said much more than that to her about it. He also didn't present her with both prior choices he had before about where she would be staying. He took her to the townhouse he had originally told her was chosen because it was only a ten minute drive from his own home.

That was the first time he made offer to buy out her lease, and the first time she had told him no because at the time he was clearly pissed off and that was what she contributed the offer to. The second time was just... kind of random in her opinion. The offer was given again two days ago over dinner, and once again not thinking he was serious, she again told him no, this time with a laugh in her voice.

Looking at him now, and the way he once again threw out the fact he had offered to free her of the one place she knew she would probably never feel safe at again, she had no choice but to reconsider what she had first thought. However, regardless of anything else, including how serious Bankotsu was when he offered to buy our her lease, that didn't negate the reasons she had told him no.

Letting out hard, scoffed breath, she threw her hands in the air. "Why would I say yes to that?" Dropping her arms, she shook her head. "Besides the fact it costs 1200 dollars to do so, an amount of money it would take me forever to be able to pay back, I have to have somewhere to go when this is all said and done. Our agreement only covers the next three months, so what then?"

Not moving his eyes from what he was reading, he just flipped the page and started to look over the listed past employment. "At what point in the last near two weeks have I given you the impression I give a shit about money?" When there was no immediate answer, he then dropped the folder in his hands against his thighs, leaned heavy on his elbow, and propped his chin in his palm as he looked at Kagome. "As for rest well, that's really up to you, isn't it? I guess you have two choices. The first is, you continue on as you are, working at a job you just admitted to hating to pay for an apartment you and I both know you don't want to go back to, no matter how much time passes or what happens over the next little while.

"Or, since staying in one of the company's safe houses you currently have very little in the way of financial responsibilities, you can let me buy you out of that ridiculous thing that somehow passes for an apartment and use the next two and a half months to find a better job so when our agreement does come to an end, you're better off than how you are now since that is enough time to build some kind of savings account. That way, when the time does come, you can afford better than what you had." Returning his attention to the application in his hand, he shrugged. "But, like I said, that's really up to you isn't it?"

Silent as she stared at Bankotsu, Kagome took a moment to actually think about what he said, and had to admit, the latter option sounded much better than the former. Still, she couldn't take that much money from him knowing it would take far longer than three months to pay it back. So, no matter how much she wanted to, she still shook her head. "I can't let you spend so much while also knowing I can't pay it back. Thank you for the offer, but on top of that, that's way too personal for someone to do, and it... it makes the already blurry lines of our relationship even more blurry. It's something a significant other does, and, I'm not your girlfriend."

Clicking his tongue, Bankotsu once again just flipped to the next page of the application. "So you keep telling me." Then he hummed in his throat, eyes shifting to the ceiling in thought for a moment before looking back at the application. "Fifty-seven. That's a little odd."

While she had something to say back to his first comment, she wasn't given a chance to get it out before he changed the subject. Instead of backtracking, she took the bait. "What's so odd about fifty-seven?"

Shaking his head slightly, his shoulder popped up. "Nothing in and of itself, but it's awfully old to be applying for this kind of position." Turning back to the previous page, his head tilted to the side. "Especially without any kind of past that would lead to wanting to be. No military experience, no background in bouncing or anything that says he could hold his own if he had to. He's had one job for the last thirty two years, and that's as a chef. Not exactly something that screams security guard, is it?"

Her own head cocking slightly, Kagome's brow rose. "Is age something that's an automatic disqualification?"

Shaking his head again, Bankotsu licked his lips. "Not really, but it is something that's taken into consideration. Someone in their 50's has more physical limitations than someone in their 20's, or even someone in their 40's."

She couldn't really disagree with that,but she did have a different perspective. "But, you said your guards have to be inconspicuous, right? Well... what's more inconspicuous than grampa?"

With a slight grin on his lips, he chuckled. "Good point, but what happens if he actually has to come to someone's defense or rescue? Even my basic security guards have to break up bar fights every so often. When it comes to private guards, as you found out when you met yours, they are contractually obligated to put themselves between our clients and a gun. Be honest; how safe would you feel if the only person between you and someone trying to do you harm was someone on the cusp of retirement age?"

Okay, she could see his point. Still, as another perspective. "Maybe he is retired, and bored, or left the workforce before he had enough saved to last the rest of his life. He's applying for security guard, right? So, maybe he has more of what Morimoto does in mind than what you do."

Lips turning down as he slowly nodded his head, Bankotsu considered that before he once again shot it down. "But, even in the six months Morimoto has been assigned to the Shikon, he's been in more than a hand's count of physical altercations. Believe it or not, the main job of a security guard is to... dun dun dun... provide security. Everything else is secondary to that."

Running her tongue along her bottom lip, Kagome then snapped her fingers. "Okay, what about what JP does? All he does is sit in small little hut looking thing, holds out a swiper for a parking badge, and pushes a button to open the gates. All he does the rest of the time is watch TV."

Turning his head to face her fully, Bankotsu smirked. "Oh, you mean the security gate that acts as the last line of defense between, for example, you and Inuyasha?" Sitting in his seat, his smirk only grew as Kagome tripped over her tongue. When, after a time she still hadn't gotten out a complete thought, he chuckled. "This is why I get the big office with the nice view." Closing the folder and tossing it on his desk, he then laced his fingers together over his stomach. "And, before you freak out, no; I do not think you are the reason Mr. Chen here filled out an application. I do, however, think it is far too much of an oddity that a man nearing his 60's with no background in anything that could lend itself to this job, actually wants this job. I think he's after at least the whereabouts of someone else in the firm's custody... that I know just so happens to share his last name. While you might be right in your assessment that an elderly man is bored in his retirement, or that maybe he doesn't have enough in his savings to last until death, it's not really a chance I'm willing to take with someone else's life, are you?"

Kagome was quick to shake her head. "Not when you put it like that."

Winking at her, Bankotsu then twisted his wrist and looked at his watch. "Well, I'm hungry. What do you say to having dinner with me after swinging by your place so you can change?"

Clearing her throat, Kagome rubbed the back of her neck. "You mean like... in public?"

Standing from his seat and pulling his sport's jacket off the back, he flung it out before slipping his arms in and shrugging it on. After he fixed the lapels, he looked at her as he adjusted his sleeves. "If that's too girlfriend for you, I can always cook." Then he hummed. "Well, grill anyway. More manly."

Brows drawn down together, Kagome slowly shook her head. "That's... yeah, that's not any less boyfriendesk, Bankotsu."

Walking around his desk, he slipped between that and the chair Kagome was still sitting in. Bending at the waist, he placed his hands on the chair's armrest, leaning down and looking the onna in the eyes. After licking his lips, he tsked and spoke quietly enough only she would hear him. "I'm curious, Kagome, what has you so against the notion, and I don't want to hear shit about Inuyasha. Not that I've really tried all that hard, but I'm positive I haven't done anything that would lead to a comparison between us."

She would better be able to answer that if he would back off just a little bit. She couldn't even lean away from him, he was so close. The mind fogging scent of his cologne and his soul piercing blue eyes left her in quite the conundrum. She hardly ever had a problem with going back and forth with the guy. They bickered as much as they bantered, but currently? Very little was coming to mind as a response.

When she remained silent, Bankotsu chuckled deep in his throat, a sound he could watch ignite her eyes. Was he playing a little unfair? Perhaps, but it certainly got results. "You know I'm perfectly aware of everything that happened in your last relationship, so it's not like there's anything you're attempting to hide." Leaning just a little closer, lowering his voice just a little more, he smirked. "You know I'm not afraid of Inuyasha. You're also aware I'm not afraid of anything he can come up with to throw my way. With all this known, you're rational is sorely lacking."

Forcing her eyes to obey her command to break contact with his long enough to form a coherent thought, Kagome cleared the lump in her throat before braving his gaze once again. "Why are you so interested in this?"

Bankotsu just shrugged a shoulder. "I never said I was, did I? I'm just curious why you're so against it; even to the point you won't let me treat you to dinner after what was, quite clearly, a very, very bad day at work." To prove his point, he moved a hand from the armrest, and reaching out, plucked a small piece of lettuce she missed from her hair.

Shifting her focus from Bankotsu's eyes to the food he removed from her hair, Kagome just stared at the remaining reminder of just how bad of a shift she actually had. After staring at the offending food for a long moment, she sighed and looked back at Bankotsu, her bottom lip between her teeth. She waited another moment before she answered, and when she did, she had a small smile on her face as she looked through her lashes. "It's just dinner, right?"

His own half grin returning, Bankotsu leaned into her, the top of his nose lightly gliding along Kagome's as a hum sounded from his throat, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. "We'll see."

For as much effort as she had previously put into trying to back away from the man, as soon as his lips pressed firmly against hers, a quiet gasped moan slipped from her. It didn't matter, really, what the conversations were that led to them kissing, but the moment it happened, her brain shut down, and all she could focus on was getting closer.

It was interesting, at least to Bankotsu, that someone who was so completely adamant about having zero interest in relationships was so fucking responsive when it came to the physical aspects of one. While he would admit to being the instigator when it came pushing the boundaries of what was supposed to be a business arrangement, she never refused his touch. However, she also didn't do anything with the intent of catching his attention, and that was one of the biggest reasons she had so much of it.

The girl was just about as genuinely innocent as innocent got.

Kagome was not just the first female, but was literally the first person overall he had met in probably the last five years that had no hidden agenda. At least, not one he had been able to sniff out, and he had certainly looked for one. From the moment their paths crossed, she had been almost completely upfront with him. The few things she did keep to herself the night they met had come out over the last ten days, and rarely in conversations where he was actually fishing for information. She just offered it up like it caused her pain to keep it to herself, and during those times, she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye. He could almost smell the shame she felt at not telling him sooner, and all he could say on the matter was it was adorably endearing. Nothing she felt so much guilt about keeping to herself had he considered overly important, and probably wouldn't have given much of a second thought to had she told him sooner than she did.

The only surprise he got when it came to her was four days into their agreement, after they got back to her unlocked apartment he personally locked on their way out, and he found out she personally knew someone on his staff. But, from the look of shock on her face, it wasn't something she intentionally kept quiet; it was something she also didn't know. Hojo hadn't been with him long, only six months or so, and she about hit the floor when he walked into his office when they stopped there to pick up the keys to the townhouse.

There had been a short conversation between them, starting with her asking what he was doing there since, in school, he had seemed more interested in the medical field than anything else. Since Bankotsu had been playing _very_ close attention to the exchange, what caught Bankotsu's attention that Kagome either missed or just dismissed for whatever reason, was Hojo had majorly tripped over his answer.

That was also the day his personal bodyguard was reassigned from him to her, with Kagome remaining none the wiser to the fact he had one at all. While she had been very forthcoming with him, the same could not be said the other way around. Then there was the fact that, regardless of how steadfast she was against it, or how hard she dug her heels in on where they stood, she had also very willingly spent eight of the last ten nights in Bankotsu's arms. If she wanted to keep titles out of things for the time being, he would certainly oblige her. Honestly, it was probably safer for her if they did. However, in his probably bias opinion, her continual consent to having a physical relationship made her his by default alone, and he viciously protected what was his.

Nipping at Kagome's bottom lip, he heard her moan softly before her lips parted, allowing him entrance and he didn't waste it. Deepening their kiss, his elevated position over her gave him the immediate upper hand, so to speak. Though things tended to get very hot and heavy very quickly between them, he kept complete control of himself, and by extension, the kiss, which was full of more promise than passion. It was deep and slow as their tongues danced together to a tune no one could hear but them.

Not even the sharp clearing of a throat a minute later completely pulled them apart. Bankotsu just lifted a hand, holding up one finger toward the door as he went in for one last languish moment with his girl before allowing her to breathe. One last peck to her lips, he shifted his eyes to the door, though didn't stand. He remained in his bent position, even as Kagome pressed her fingertips to her lips as she turned away from the gaze she could feel on the side of her head.

Bankotsu, however, merely lifted a brow at Hiten, who was standing in the middle of the open office doors. He said nothing as he watched Hiten make the sign for a phone with his thumb and pinky, holding it to the side of his head for a moment, then tapped his watch. Knowing what it was about, and realizing he forgot about it, Bankotsu's lips pursed as he grunted. "Damn."

The only person that knew what was going on between them was Hiten, and for years now, Bankotsu has trusted that man with his own life. Not even his six older brothers knew the full extent of the shit the youngest Akasaki was involved in, but Hiten did. He knew every last bit of it, and also knew without Bankotsu having to tell him, he currently had every intention of keeping Kagome around for the long haul. Nothing his boss did really caught Hiten off guard these days, so when that text came through, there was no surprise on either side when the change of assignment was made, or when it was agreed to.

Clicking his tongue a few times as Hiten turned his back to them, clasping his hands behind his back, Bankotsu turned his attention back to Kagome. "I..." He waited until she was looking back at him before speaking again. "...have to make a phone call. Hiten here is going to escort you home. You have until I get there to decide if I'm taking you to dinner, or if I'm making you dinner. Deal?"

Licking his flavor from her lips, Kagome tried to hide her smile, but failed. "Deal makes it sound like there's a choice."

Chuckling as he grabbed her wrists and pulled her to her feet, Bankotsu then pulled her to him, and after releasing her wrist, laced his fingers behind her back. "You always have a choice, Little Dove. Sometimes, though, they are very limited."

Playing with the lapels of his jacket, Kagome giggled before looking up at him through her lashes. "Okay... I'll think about it."

Dipping his head, he stopped just before his lips were once again pressed to hers. "Good girl." With a final kiss, Bankotsu released her and watched as she made her way to the office door, dipping his head to her when she turned back and waved before making his way back around his desk and picking up his cell phone before she was out of the room. Not even looking at the device, he dialed the number and put the phone to his ear, watching as his guard fell in step with his girl.

No sooner were they out of sight before a pissed off voice sounded in his ear. " _You were supposed to call ten minutes ago._ "

There was a high level of amusement in Bankotsu voice as he lowered himself into his chair. "After the shit you tried to pull with me last time, you're lucky I'm calling you at all." Kicking his feet up on the corner of his desk, he smirked at nothing as he crossed his free arm over his chest. "So... what is it I can do for you today, Naraku?"


	8. Chapter 8

Sitting in the passenger seat of Bankotsu car, Kagome looked out the window as she repeatedly questioned her decision. For the near ninety minutes between her leaving his office and him walking in her door, she had gone back and forth between the two choices she had; go out on what could possibly be considered a date if someone saw them out, or go to Bankotsu's house, which to this point she had never been to, for what was pretty much described as a barbeque, but knowing Bankotsu it was anything but.

In the end, she had chosen the former, but only after she made him promise it wouldn't be anything extravagant, knowing if she didn't place that limitation on him, they would have ended up at one of the more expensive places in the city, because he had already pulled that crap on her once.

One thing she had learned about him over the time she spent with him was, Bankotsu really did not give a flying fuck about spending an obscene amount of money on what she at least considered really stupid shit. Even though she used to work at such a place herself, she never understood why anyone paid so much for what amounted to little more than a future trip to the bathroom. She personally found it ridiculous to spend five hundred dollars or better on a meal for two people, but Bankotsu did it without batting an eye, and made it even more when he left their server a very generous tip for the fact she was probably the worst waitress on the planet.

One thing she couldn't figure out, and she couldn't get the man to cop to one way or the other, was what the hell was going on when it came to the Townhouse. She had no idea if it was common practice or if it was just because it was her, but Bankotsu literally paid for everything. She knew the unit was paid off, he told her as much, but the utilities went to his office instead of the residence and he was the one that kept the kitchen stocked. All she had to do when she ran out of something, even if it was just milk, was let him know and either Bankotsu himself or someone else would pick up whatever it was she needed.

She really didn't have much in the way of financial responsibilities while staying in the Townhouse, other than taking care of her own personal needs, and even that wasn't a hard and fast rule because Bankotsu had bought that for her as well. It was a rather sobering experience for her to ask him to borrow twenty dollars when she ran out of shampoo and body wash when she didn't have enough money to buy it herself because she had just paid her rent, but he just let out a soft snort, pulled out his wallet, and gave her what she asked for. It was far more of a sobering experience when she tried to pay him back and he all but laughed in her face, saying something to the effect of, 'if you need to borrow money to take a shower, you clearly need it more than I do'.

The only hard and fast rule when it came to where she was staying was under no circumstances was she allowed to have company. If she wanted to see her friends or spend time with her little brother, she had to go to them. Since for whatever reason, and at this point not even Kagome herself knew what it was, she refused to give up her shit hole appartment, Bankotsu told her to just let everyone continue to think she still lived there to avoid the secret of where she was actually staying getting out. There were very few things Bankotsu had so far demanded of her, but that one topped the list. He made it very clear when he gave her the keys if she gave away the location of what was considered to be a safe house for the firm, he would kill her. Not literally, of course, but the sheer level of pissed off he would be would make her head spin.

Through normal conversation she learned all the houses owned by the firm were at least two bedrooms, and she found out why that was the first night she stayed at the Townhouse. The master of the two was for the client, and the other was to be shared by the two men that would be staying inside with her overnight. That, she was told, was due to their arrangement and under normal circumstances, there was usually only one. Generally speaking, when a bodyguard from his firm was hired, it was a 24/7 gig for as long as the client considered necessary, and the guys he was using her to train needed to learn how to deal with anything that happened at night while not disturbing the client in the process. She didn't get much sleep that first night because covertness was not a trick either of her overnight 'guests' had up their sleeves, but she slept like a baby the next night after she answered Bankotsu's questions about how the first one went and he showed up, kicked the trainees out, and stayed with her himself. She hadn't run to him complaining they sounded like a herd of damn elephants, she was just honest about her answers to what she was asked.

Over the course of the last week, the overnight issues had gotten progressively better, but Kagome was nearly positive it was Bankotsu was there, every night, to make sure of it. He also dropped the second trainee, assuming that had something to do with it, and once it was just one, the volume of noise dropped substantially. However, unlike Kagome, who would just shove her head under her pillow when the noise got overly loud, Bankotsu had no problem whatsoever making whoever it was shut the hell up, and physically if necessary. When it reached that point, he then decided to do away with the inside guard entirely and just handle the eleven to seven himself for the time being.

Looking out the window of his car, a small smile pulled at Kagome's lips. Of the ten nights since she and Bankotsu's arrangement began, only two had there been anyone else present, and that was the first and third night at the Townhouse. Other than that, it was just her and Bankotsu, and those sleepless nights had absolutely nothing to do with someone making too much noise in the kitchen or had the TV turned up so loud the Kami themselves could listen to it.

However, though she fell asleep in his arms, she never woke up there, Bankotsu having gotten very good at detangling himself from her without waking her in the process. By the time she herself rolled out of bed, he was showered, dressed, and usually in the process of making breakfast while talking to whoever it was that was set to show up for the shift change at seven, which seemed to always be Hiten.

While that first morning was a bit of a shot to the ego when she woke up alone, the moment it was once again just them, Bankotsu was very quick to put whatever fear she had at ease and explained the situation. He didn't parade his personal life in front of his employees, and since she had made it very clear where they stood as far as their relationship went, or lack thereof as the case was, unless or until that changed, as long as she insisted everything was just a business arrangement, he didn't want anyone he signed a paycheck for knowing there was anything else going on.

She was pretty sure all bets were off there if she actually gave in and gave him what he made very clear he wanted.

As she felt the car slow, Kagome closed her eyes, bracing herself for a moment before she discovered where he had decided to take her for dinner. It was to her very pleasant surprise, he pulled to a stop by the curb of a small, casual looking cafe with outside seating and no expectations.

She wasn't sure yet if it was part of the job or if it was chivalry or whatever, but if she wasn't driving the car, she was the first in the car and the last out. The question of chivalry came into play because, like a gentleman, not only did Bankotsu always open her door, but also always presented her his hand to help her out of the car, more recently with a 'My Lady' and a ready wink for her when she either rolled her eyes or stuck her tongue out at him, and this time was no different.

Once he closed the passenger door, Bankotsu, with a hand on the small of Kagome's back, guided her over to the last open outside table, even pulling out her chair before taking his own. Service at the outside tables was usually a little slower, but it was a nice afternoon, and he didn't want to be inside if he didn't have to be.

Stretching his legs out under the table, he just took in the sight his Little Dove made in her near perfect simplicity. She seemed to be able to make anything look good on her without even trying, and today was no different with her wide strap blue tank top and jeans. He learned she wasn't a huge fan of makeup, but she hardly needed it. His favorite thing about her next to her deep brown eyes was her hair, and she had it pulled up in two half ponytails with the rest cascading down her back. The girl didn't even need to try and he found himself having to shift a bit to make himself comfortable in his own jeans.

He wasn't sure what it was that caught his attention about it. It wasn't like crotch rockets were uncommon this time of year, but there was an ominous feel to the sound of the revving engine that pulled Bankotsu's attention from his inspection of his girl to a very quickly approaching motorcycle. His eyes locked on the bike, he paid no mind to the waitress who came out with preemptive glasses of water for a peace offering because it would be a few extra minutes before she would be able to come back with what they actually ordered.

She had no sooner set the glasses on the table and pulled out her order pad to begin her opening of her name and specials before Bankotsu, without warning, shot out of his seat, grabbed the side of the table and knocked it over, yelling over the sound of the glasses shattering on impact for everyone to get down.

Grabbing both the shocked waitress and Kagome by their wrists, Bankotsu yanked them both to the ground and behind the table as the first sound of gunfire rang out in the otherwise peaceful afternoon air. Though he did also protect the waitress, Kagome was Bankotsu's focus, and it was his Little Dove he pulled completely under him, while his other arm was around the shoulders of the screaming server to keep her head below the top of the table and out of danger of a head shot.

This wasn't his first taste of being on the wrong end of a fully automatic weapon; it had just been a while. While counting as many rounds as he could keep up with, he also kept a continuous stream of what he hoped to be comforting words in Kagome's ear as she trembled against his chest with her hands over her head. To her, the mixture of sounds to the pandemonium going on around her was nothing but white noise, which honestly, made it all the more terrifying. For Bankotsu, he could make out every fired bullet, the glass as it was shot out, as well as catalogue every last person that was screaming, though the fucking waitress was about to make him go deaf in his right ear.

He didn't release either of the girls until he heard the sound of the bike's engine protest a hard shift, and when that happened, as he shot to his feet, pulled one of his own guns from under his jacket, pointing it at the retreating motorcycle, and growling out a curse under his breath when he realized he couldn't take the shot without endangering someone else.

Shaking his head, he reholtered his weapon and crouched, first looking to waitress, giving her a once over to make sure she was okay before he told her to going inside and call the police. As she scrambled to do just that, he turned his attention to Kagome, who hadn't uncurled herself from the ball she made herself when he pulled her out of her seat and under him behind the table. She was shaking so hard it actually made the table vibrate against the sidewalk, and he actually saw the tears fall from her cheeks to the ground.

Using one hand to pull hers from her hair, Bankotsu grabbed her chin in the palm of the other and lifted her head up, looking her in her cloudy and distant eyes. He wasn't sure if she actually heard him ask if she was alright, but by her reaction, clearly she wasn't. With a choked sob, she launched herself at him, wrenched her hands free of his, grabbed his shirt, and buried her face in his chest where she proceeded to bawl her eyes out. Wrapping one arm around her shoulders and setting his other hand on the back of her head, he dipped his own and spoke quietly and calmly in her ear, repeating without pause between the words that she was okay and everything was going to be alright, that he was going to make sure of it.

It took Kagome several minutes to settle down enough to pull back from Bankotsu's chest, and when she did, she shook her head. "No... this is not... this isn't what you signed up for. You don't have..."

Not even in the mood after just getting shot at, Bankotsu cut her off with a deadly serious gleam in his eye. "I signed up to keep you safe, and that's exactly what the fuck I'm gonna do. I told you before, I even showed you where it was outlined that getting shot at comes with the territory. However, this isn't even about Taishi anymore, though if I ever get my hands on him it will certainly be a bonus. Listen very carefully, Baby; someone wants to take a shot at me, fine, whatever but no one fires a fucking gun at my girl and gets away with it. I find myself taking that shit pretty fucking personally to be honest."

After what just happened, Kagome wasn't sure she could handle dealing with him making a defining decision on their relationship like that, and shook her head without looking away from his piercing gaze. "But I'm not..."

Still not in the mood for her crap, Bankotsu once again cut her off, and this time not taking this 'no' bullshit of hers for an answer. "See, but here's the thing... you are." Watching the shock flash through Kagome's eyes, a smirk came to his lips as he released her shoulders and cupped her cheek, using his thumb to wipe away the tear track. "You can go right ahead and keep running whatever circles you want, play whatever games in your mind you like. At this point, I happen to find them really fucking cute. But, the bottom line, at the end of the day, do you or don't you, willingly, crawl into bed with me?"

Gaping at him for a long moment, blinking a few times, Kagome eventually licked her lips and tripped over her tongue as she answered the question. "Well... ye... yes, but..."

Once again cutting her off, Bankotsu leaned in close to her face and lowered his voice. "Then you're mine." Pulling back only a fraction, his nose wrinkled as he spoke again. "Make your peace with it."

Once again, left with nothing to do but stare at the man with wide eyes and parted lips, Kagome considered what he said, and grudgingly as it was, had to admit, he sort of had a point. It wasn't that she was against the notion. She wasn't really. It was always because she knew she was in danger, and she didn't want to drag anyone else down with her when Inuyasha finally lost his mind completely, like he clearly had.

Drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, her brows drew down as she glanced away from Bankotsu's eyes long enough to get her mind working again. Once she felt she could think again, she sighed as she released her lip. "After what just happened, how could you want anything to do with me?"

Smirk growing wide enough for his teeth to flash in the sun behind Kagome's head, Bankotsu chuckled deep in his throat. "Because you have a really nice ass." He winked when she scoffed, but wasn't done, either. "Besides, what just happened has absolutely nothing to do with you. That was all for me." When Kagome seemed to choke, he just chuckled again. "You don't do what I do, deal with who I deal with, and not make enemies, Little Dove. I take away the toys of people who think they rule the playground. I piss people off just because I think it's fun. It's just... the people that don't like me have a lot more balls than Taishi could ever dream of."

Far less inclined to agree to this than she was a moment ago, already having someone trying to kill her, and knowing she absolutely did not want anyone else taking up that task, Kagome shook her head. "Bankotsu..."

Before she could say anything else, a new voice sounded behind her, drawing both their attention to the new arrival. "You two alright?"

Bankotsu, releasing Kagome's cheek, grabbed her wrists and pulled her to her feet. "Fine." Returning his eyes to eyes to hers he smiled at her. "Go with Hiten, and I'll see you soon."

Scoffing as she pulled her arm from Hiten's grip, she snapped at Bankotsu. "What? No. We're not done here."

Making a face and lifting a shoulder, Bankotsu crossed his arms. "Then it's sure to be a very interesting conversation for you."

Jolting at the dismissive tone that leashed into Bankotsu's voice, Kagome crossed her own arms. "And, why is that?"

Taking the step to close the distance that separated them, Bankotsu slipped his fingers into Kagome's hair at the base of her skull, dipping his head and stopping just before his lips touched hers. His voice dripped in a level of finality that left the lady coming up a little short. "Because as far as the topic of you being mine goes, I don't have anything else to say."

After placing what, under any other circumstance, Kagome would consider a sweet kiss on her lips, Bankotsu pulled back and looked at Hiten. "Put her in the truck and call Ryu. If he needs picked up, go get him, then come back and get me. If he doesn't, tell him to meet us at the office, wait ten minutes, circle the block, then pick me up."

Lip curling in the corner, without really thinking about it, Hiten grunted. "Where's your car, Boss?"

Pure and utter irritation settled on Bankotsu's face as he held out the hand that wasn't still in Kagome's hair out to the side. "Right there... covered in fucking bullet holes."

Cringing at the glare on Bankotsu's face, Hiten cleared his throat. "Doshi is gonna kill someone."

A darkness Kagome had never seen before took over Bankotsu's eyes as he released her hair and gently pushed her back into Hiten's possession. "Not if I find that son of a bitch first."

 ***X*  
Okay, so, I really wanted this to be longer, but the story stalled, which is why it took so long to even get this. Hoping not to take nearly 4 months to update again, but not that shit is back on track, it really shouldn't. **

**Take care, and see ya next time!  
~Kouga's Eternal**


	9. Chapter 9

Sitting in the back of Hiten's SUV, Kagome tried very hard to listen in on his half of the phone calls he was making, but it was like he knew what she was doing, and the son of a bitch started talking in tongues or some shit, because she couldn't understand a word he fucking said. Then, just to prove he had her, the mother fucker locked their eyes in the rearview mirror, and she could _see_ the smirk on his lips that lit up the back of his eyes. All she could do at that point was cross her arms, snap her head to the side, and huff like a child who was told no cookies, causing Hiten to finally let out the chuckle his body language said he was damn near choking on, and Kagome to give him the finger in response.

Since she had been put in the backseat on the driver's side of the truck, when Kagome turned her attention outside, she had a fantastic view of the chaos just across the street. Every so often she would catch a view of Bankotsu between the cars that lined the block and between the people that were running around like the sky was still falling. She couldn't see exactly what he was doing, he was too far away, but she could see him crouched down next to a man who was laid out on the sidewalk that she could only assume hadn't been as successful in getting out the of storm of bullets that had rained down on them eleven minutes ago.

She could hear the sounds of sirens closing in, telling her the police were finally coming, but for some reason, it seemed to her like it took them just a little bit too long to arrive on the scene of something like that. There would have been multiple calls of varying information, but it was in the heart of downtown, where you couldn't usually go a full block without seeing at least one officer. Kagome didn't know about anyone else, but she was personally less than impressed with an eleven minute response time to calls about someone driving through the streets of Tokyo on a crotch rocket with a fucking machine gun, though she was more than positive the first officers on scene would be hailed for their bravery and quick arrival to Ground Zero.

She did take a moment to ponder over whether or not she was being unfair since those bullets were aimed at her, and that maybe, just maybe, time wasn't moving for her as it should, but that went out the window the moment she heard Hiten grunt. Cutting her eyes back to his in the rearview mirror, he had the same look in his she had in hers. Even to him it took too long, and she wasn't sure, in that moment, how to feel about it. Had they milked their response time in hopes the shooter hit his target and she bled to death before help arrived? She didn't really want to think that, but knowing Inuyasha's dad had a very large number of officers on his payroll, she couldn't shake the feeling that thought actually held merit. She also wondered briefly how much her life was worth to them, but refused to let that thought take a lasting root in her mind.

Before he sent her away with Hiten, Bankotsu told her that was about him, but she wasn't completely convinced. Maybe had the police showed up in a timely manner, but they didn't. Kagome did know the legal system was just as corrupt as any other organization in the city, that if you had enough money you could literally buy yourself out of any trouble you get in, or, if you were a woman with no morals or self-respect, fuck yourself out of it. It was the reason she couldn't go to them when shit started to get very dangerous for her because she didn't know who all Toga had in his pocket, and she didn't want to make it worse by talking to the wrong person.

All that aside, someone trying to kill Bankotsu didn't make any sense to her. If that was about someone who Bankotsu's firm had in their custody, killing the only person who knew where that person was seemed extremely counterproductive in getting that person back. He had told her the night they came to their agreement at Shikon he was the only one that knew anyone's real identity, so if he died, that information went with him; which would make killing Bankotsu to get them back completely fucking pointless, because Bankotsu had Hiten, and Kagome learned very early on, Hiten was someone you do. not. fuck. with. Kagome was positive that if someone killed Bankotsu to get to someone he was protecting, Hiten would be there waiting and ready to shoot them in the fucking face, though she very much doubted it would be out of protection of whoever it was and far more likely to be out of retaliatory vengeance.

While Kagome was dancing herself in circles over what happen, in the front seat, rhythmically tapping his thumb on the steering wheel, Hiten's mind was on a far more pressing issue, and the only thing Bankotsu was going to care about.

They had been seen together.

In Hiten's mind, it honestly didn't matter who the fuck those bullets were meant for, or who it was the person on the motorcycle answered to. It was the same problem either way it was sliced. If it was Inuyasha, or any other Taishi that took up the fuck face's cause, they now knew Kagome was with Bankotsu, which made her substantially easier to find. If it was any one of the numerous people that wanted Bankotsu dead, they now knew he had a woman in his life, which gave them a substantially easier way to bring Lord Akasaki to his knees, especially once they found out Bankotsu's Lady had a hit out on her, because in this city, that is not something that stays a secret for long.

This was very quickly going to turn into a migraine inducing mess of a situation, but there wasn't anything that could be done about it. Bankotsu made it very clear Kagome belonged to him, and Hiten knew he was going to protect her with a rabidness not yet seen, even if it cost his boss his life. While, on the other hand, Kagome, the very sweet and innocent to the horrors of the world Kagome, would go out of her way to make sure Bankotsu didn't have to, even to the detriment of her own safety. The vicious cycle that ran through his mind made the vein in Hiten's temple pulse, but really, there wasn't anything he could do until there was something to do.

The hardest part of Hiten's job was not keeping someone alive. That was actually pretty damn easy were he honest. No, the hardest part of his job, hands down, was keeping Bankotsu's fucking temper in check. Luckily, he didn't lose it over every little thing like he once did, and generally speaking, calming down his boss wasn't usually that hard anymore. However, someone fired a gun in Kagome's general direction, which made Hiten positive the rampage Bankotsu was going to go on once he was back at his office was going to be one for the books, and he had absolutely no idea how the hell he was going to stop him from doing or saying something he knew Bankotsu would rather not do or say.

Clearly, Kagome was scared enough, and she didn't need to be afraid of Bankotsu as well once she saw just how volatile the man could get.

Hiten thought, and he didn't care how much of a chick it made him sound like, the two were cute as shit together. Kagome was literally the perfect mix of sass and submissiveness that drove Bankotsu out of his damn mind. She had absolutely no fear of going toe to toe with him, but also knew when it was time to back down and give the man his demands. Likewise, Bankotsu was the definition of charismatic confidence that Kagome was clearly drawn to. He led their relationship with a strong hand, but when that woman looked up at him with those liquid chocolate eyes of hers, the man buckled every fucking time.

Up to this point, he had been the only one that knew about the goings on between the pair, but Hiten also knew that shit was about to change. There was about to a _complete_ restructuring of the 'security firm', and there was also about to a _drastic_ change in several job descriptions. No one could say Bankotsu had ever technically lied to Kagome, but what his business actually was, was nowhere near what it was made out to be. Oh, sure, Bankotsu certainly had bodyguards on his staff, but the the number of legit guards paled in comparison to the number of hitmen he had working for him.

Bankotsu Akasaki might have been the face of safety for damn near the entire country, but what he offered to most of the 'clients' he dealt with, was anything but security. On the surface, there were plenty enough of actual cases to the random ass people that gave him a shit ton of money for wasting his time, but behind the scenes, it was a far different story. It was just flat out protection from extremely dangerous people, and he didn't charge them a fucking dime. It was the legitimate clients, the Prime Minister, celebrities, clubs, bars, the random person that was afraid of their own shadow that funded what he did that wasn't seen.

He didn't give a singular rats ass about any man that pissed off the wrong person, but if someone put a battered woman or a mother with small children in front of him, Bankotsu folded like an origami sculpture.

Hiten was privy to far more information than literally anyone else in Bankotsu's life, his six brothers included, and way more than just what the man did behind closed doors, including that when Bankotsu was sixteen, he stoneface shot his father straight through the mouth before leaving with Jakotsu to go to school. The details of that event Bankotsu has always kept to himself, but the reason behind it was simple enough. He had come home far too many times to pick his mother up off the living room floor, and he decided enough was enough. The death was ruled a suicide and never questioned, so obviously, he covered his tracks perfectly.

Hiten knew Bankotsu told Kagome he's killed in the past, but he very much doubted the little onna knew that body count she was told about now numbered in the high hundreds. Bankotsu was a pretty decent guy if he decided he liked you. He was polite, cordial, every bit the gentleman his mother raised him to be. But, if for whatever reason someone found themselves on his bad side, well... he was the namesake of history's most ruthless mercenary for a reason.

All of that brought Hiten's thoughts full circle back to the present situation. Kagome came to Bankotsu for help, and while there was no indication or admission of physical violence, Kagome was terrified of a man that Bankotsu did not like. Bankotsu, even before he ever said a word to woman, decided he was going to do something, though probably didn't know what it was going to be until he found out exactly what the problem was. Once he found that out, he offered to her the exact same thing he offered to any battered or abused woman that found their way to him, only under the guise of something else. The two got drunk as fuck that night, and effectively erased the already blurry lines of the arrangement, leading to Bankotsu catching a case of the feels for the tiny little spitfire.

When or how that happened, Hiten had absolutely no fucking idea. That was not the first time Bankotsu spent the night in the safe house with a woman he had just taken into his protection. That was pretty standard practice, actually, depending on the last time the onna felt safe enough to sleep, which was hardly ever an acceptable answer, which was why it was something of standard practice for someone to stay there that first night. Hell, Kagome wasn't even the first one Bankotsu slept with. He certainly didn't make it a habit, but he had done it a handful of times in the past. However, Kagome was the only one Bankotsu had taken such a personal interest in. Never once before, after the morning meeting where the woman was introduced to whoever it was Bankotsu was assigning to her protection and the temporary safe house was chosen, did Bankotsu have all that much to do with them. He would stop in to check on them every so often, a couple times more so if there were children involved, just to make sure they were alright and they were following the terms of their agreement, which were very, very cut and dry.

Each arrangement was different and fully dependant on the situation they were coming out of. However, the terms were always the same. Those women were given a set amount of time to get new lives set up for themselves, and their children if they had any, while under the protection of men with really big guns. Bankotsu also gave them the money to do it, but it was upfront and it was all they got. The women had to do the leg work and if they didn't, they were basically thrown out to the streets; thought he wasn't heartless and if time ran out and the women did actually try to do what they needed to do but were just having trouble, he would extend them every bit of help he could. It was how Bankotsu could tell who was actually in fear of their lives, and who was lying to him, which had happened before by single women that had just thought to be taken care of for the rest of their lives.

This was where the differences with Kagome came into play.

While Bankotsu _did_ technically give Kagome a time limit in which she was allowed to live in the Townhouse, there was no way in this life or any other, Bankotsu was going to allow that woman to return to that apartment she, for whatever reason, still refused to give up when that time limit came to an end. He didn't give her the 'stay out of sight' rule he gave to every other woman he dealt with. He didn't make her quit her job, though that was very likely subject to change, throw away her cell phone, cut contact with people she knew, and he didn't give her the task of reinventing her entire life somewhere other than Tokyo.

What he did do was foot the bill for whatever she needed, and in a handful of cases things that she wanted. He gave her a car to drive while Doshi continued to try and deal with her piece of shit so she 'wasn't reliant on others', though the car had only left the driveway twice in the week she's had it. He racked up hundreds of man hours by always having someone with her no matter what it was she was doing at the time, and spent almost every single night with her since the night they met.

And, why did Bankotsu do all of that when it would have been so much easier to simply follow the status quo and hide the woman like he had done so many times in the past? It wasn't like keeping her indoors meant he couldn't sleep with her anymore. Honestly, if he stuck with his normal routine, he probably would have been able to do it more often.

The answer was simple; he wanted to protect her.

Not from a tangible person he knew was actually trying to kill her, but from the knowledge of the world she stepped into when she agreed to date Taishi. Kagome, for being in her twenties, still had a childlike innocence Bankotsu didn't think she was quite ready to lose. He did drop bread crumbs along the way, hoping to lead her to the answer without having to come right out and tell the woman her ex-boyfriend was the son of a mob boss, but her inability to see anything but the good in others meant subtilty wasn't going to work.

Everyone that dealt with the girl agreed that their lives would be much easier of someone popped the bubble the girl lived in, but everyone was so ball shriveling terrified of Bankotsu, they kept their mouths shut. Bankotsu was not a stupid man. You do not build, from nothing, a nationally recognized, multi-million dollar a year business from the ground up out of a childhood hobby if you're an idiot. He knew someone was going to pop that bubble of hers eventually, but he refused for it to be someone she saw everyday.

Secrets do not stay secrets forever. Everything comes out eventually, and Bankotsu knew his relationships with the less than savory of the county was not going to be an exception. He told her up front he had dealings in the underbelly of humanity, but he did not go into detail, because honestly, there wasn't a lot to go into. He didn't run guns. He didn't move drugs. He didn't have a hand in prostitution. He had absolutely nothing to do with the shockingly lucrative business of dog fighting, because all he ever saw was his own four dogs in that pit, and it made him very angry.

What he did was provide the muscle for all but the animal fighting organizations, and he was the go-to man if you wanted someone dead or a woman who was the wife, girlfriend, or mistress of an abusive asshole that likely would have found himself on Bankotsu's hit list eventually.

While there was no part of Hiten that thought his boss went into his agreement with Kagome with the idea of things turning into what they did, he could clearly see the two of them were made for the other. Bankotsu was exactly what Kagome needed; a strong, confident man that pushed her boundaries and broaden her horizons while giving her what she wanted, which was to be treated as a Lady should be. Kagome was exactly what Bankotsu wanted; a somewhat reserved yet self-assured woman that challenged him while at the same time giving him what he needed, which was someone to protect.

Never in the time Hiten had known the man had he seen Bankotsu melt like he does in Kagome's presence, and he had also never seen a woman turn the shade of red Kagome did whenever Bankotsu opened his mouth. Each of them were the perfect combination to fit seamlessly with the other, and Hiten was positive with a little bit of effort on Bankotsu's part, he could easily break her out of the shell she had been mentally beaten into, her actual personality would show itself, and the two of them together would be a next to unstoppable force.

The only question really that remained in his mind was how Kagome was going to react when light was finally shown on the shadows of Bankotsu's life.

Hiten would get his answer, but it wouldn't be for another couple of days, and it would be by total accident.


	10. Chapter 10

The doors to Bankotsu's office were thrown open with so much force, the two occupants inside jumped as they banged off the walls, just as much from the sound as from the suddenness.

For several, precious moments, time stood still for the startled Bankotsu and the completely irate Kagome, the former of who hadn't been taken off-guard like that in many years, and the latter of which being who stormed into the office with, apparently, the backing of Hell itself.

Though time didn't seem to move, Kagome's mouth did, but as she took three steps into the room, everything around her faded away when her eyes landed on the other wide eyed occupant, her threats of pain directed at Bankotsu dying on her tongue as her breath was stolen from her. Hands coming up to her lips as her brain finally caught up with the moment, her fingers balled before her mouth as her voice became slightly hysterical. "Are you..." dropping her hands to her sides, her eyes moved from one man to the other, wide and terrified, "...kidding me?!"

Bankotsu, still not quite caught up to current events, looked from his girlfriend to the man across from him, and that was when it clicked. Abject horror slid onto his expression as he snapped his attention back to Kagome, holding up one finger. "No... no, Baby, it is not what it looks like." While the endearment got him a cocked brow from an old friend of his, Bankotsu ignored it as he watched Kagome shake her head, heard her say 'it never is with you', before she turned and bolted from the room.

Bankotsu had never once thought himself the kind of man that would chase after a woman, always having been of the opinion that if they wanted to walk away that was their decision, but fuck him sideways if that's not exactly what he did. With a hard shake of his head and a growl in his throat, he shot out of his seat and bolted across his office, paused only long enough to tell Hiten to watch Sesshoumaru like a fucking hawk, before he tore off down the hall to catch up with Kagome.

She had gotten further than he thought she would before he caught her, but he did manage to stop her from getting on the elevator. Snagging her by the arm, Bankotsu pushed open the closest door to him, which was a utility room, and basically forced her inside, closing the door behind him.

Ripping her arm free, Kagome whipped back around on him with a glare, and with both hands shoved Bankotsu away from her, not giving a damn if someone heard her yelling or not. "You _lied_ to me!"

Bankotsu held up his hands, and tried really hard to defuse the situation. "Not once, and I really can explain." When she gave him a look that said he had better get on with it, he sighed. "I told you before Sesshoumaru and I were friends, and..."

Cutting him off, Kagome's hands were balled at her sides, and her voice still rises, her fear and anger not allowing her to care. "In high school! You told me you were friends in high school, and that you two drifted after he graduated."

Hands still up, Bankotsu nodded slowly. "Yes, but, drifted doesn't mean ended, Little Dove. Do we go out of our way to talk to each other? No, nor do we get together for a beer on occasion, but there is still a level of mutual respect there, which is why he's here." He waited, not saying anything until she decided if she was willing to listen, and lowered his hands once she crossed her arms and glared at him. "He called me two days ago, and this was the first chance I had to talk to him." He watched her eyes spark, and knew the moment she realized what it was he called about, but went ahead and confirmed it for her. "He saw the news report of the shooting the other day, and wanted to make sure I knew no one in his family had anything to do with it. I already knew that, but confirmation is always nice."

Kagome had no way of knowing whether or not that meant the same thing to Bankotsu as it did to her, but if his reaction to her reaction was anything to go by, clearly, it did not. Every ounce of fight left her, and her voice became a whimper as her fingers slid into her hair. "He..." Trailing off and shaking her head, she then flicked her now wet eyes to Bankotsu's. "I knew Sesshoumaru didn't like me, but to know what Inuyasha was doing and do nothing about it?"

Watching Kagome fold into herself, Bankotsu grunted. This would be so much easier of he could talk her into going to hear Sesshoumaru out, but he doubted very much he was going to be successful in that. Taking a step forward, he then paused when Kagome jerked away from him. She wouldn't even look at him, so, with a sigh, Bankotsu leaned back against the door and crossed his arms. "He thought he did do something about it."

That caught her attention, and when he had her eyes again, he licked his lips. He didn't think the significance was going to be all that significant to her, but it was probably the reason she lived through it. "It took Sesshoumaru three weeks to figure out what he was up to. He was up front with me about the fact that, at first, he did find it amusing because he knows better than anyone just how much of an idiot his brother is. However, when he realized Inuyasha was actually out to kill you, he cut off the moron's ability to pay someone else to do his dirty work, figuring that would be enough for it to stop because he didn't think the inept bastard had the balls to do anything himself. Clearly, he was wrong, but because of what he did, you've been mostly dealing with Inuyasha, which is very likely the only reason you're even still alive."

Unsure how she should feel at the confirmation of everything she thought, or at finding out things about it she didn't even know, Kagome just looked at Bankotsu for a long moment, trying to work it all out. Honestly, the bit about Sesshoumaru didn't matter because really, it hadn't done anything more than him doing nothing at all. After a minute, she sniffled, clearing her the lump from her throat, but her voice was still strained when she spoke. "So, I wasn't crazy. I was right. He really is trying to kill me."

Nodding in the affirmative, Bankotsu clicked his tongue. "Yeah, Baby; you were right. I told you the night we met, at his core, Inuyasha is a horrible person, and there could be several different reasons as to the motive behind his actions. Well... the reason is he's doing it solely because he's pissed off you broke up with him. From what I was told, it seems to have started out as a scare tactic to force you to go back to him, but when that didn't work, it became the age old, 'if I can't have you, no one can' bullshit."

Leaning back against the water heater that was behind her, Kagome dropped her face in her hands, a whine in her throat. This shit just wasn't fucking fair. Three years ago, she was just a regular girl with normal girl problems. Would her hair behave or would she have to beat it into submission? Did her ass look fat in that pair of jeans she really wanted? Then, she met a man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with, who turned out to be a fucking psycho. There was a brief moment where she was forced to consider, and then concede to the fact, finding that kind of shit out wasn't really all that uncommon.

It wasn't uncommon, but it was certainly unwanted.

Slipping her fingers into her hair, Kagome dragged her nails along her scalp along the back of her head, grabbing the back of her neck but keeping her hair tangled around her fingers. Leveling Bankotsu with an almost helpless look, she licked her lips. "If he called you two days ago, why didn't you tell me then?" The very flat look he bestowed on her as he cocked his head was enough of an answer, which was because he clearly wanted to avoid this particular altercation, which then led her to sigh as she dropped her arms. "Why can't you just be a regular boyfriend?"

The sheer shock of the statement caused Bankotsu to jolt. It had been three days since he redefined their relationship on the sidewalk after being shot at, but this was the first time his girl actually acknowledged it. Blinking, the corner of his lip lifted slightly as his eyes crinkled in the corners. "I'm sorry?"

Slouching against the water heater, Kagome let out a hard breath. "You know, where the only thing I have to worry about is walking in on you fucking someone else, not walk in on you having a very pleasant conversation with the brother of the man trying to kill your damn girlfriend."

A lip parting grin appeared on Bankotsu's face as a chuckle sounded in the room. "Well, My Lady, I do believe you just answered your own question." Closing the distance between them when Kagome cocked a brow at him, he wrapped his fingers around the edge of the water heater and bent at the waist to look her in the eyes. "How can I be a regular boyfriend when someone is trying to kill my girlfriend?" Watching her make a thoughtful face he then snorted. "And when the hell would I have time to be fucking with someone else? You... are a full time job."

Challenge sparked in the back of Kagome's eyes as she crossed her arms again. "So... I shouldn't be concerned with all those late night phone calls then?"

Every muscle in Bankotsu's body went on lockdown for a moment too long to go unnoticed, and it certainly didn't help that his response of 'no' sounded far more like a question than it did an answer to one. Tapping a finger on the top of the water heater when Kagome asked if that was 'just another thing it didn't look like', Bankotsu huffed out a sigh before looking her in her in the eyes. "Baby, we are together for twenty-two hours a day. The two we are not, I am driving a car. If I won't let you suck my dick, what makes you think I would let some irrelevant little whore give me road head?"

The challenge in Kagome's eyes only glowed brighter as she cocked a brow. "Then what are these irrelevant little whores doing calling you at three in the fucking morning?" When Bankotsu opened his mouth, she pointed a finger in his face. "And don't lie to me. At three AM, it's quiet enough to hear a female's voice on the other end of the calls you jump out of bed to answer."

There only way to describe Bankotsu's face was it was one of pure amused indulgence. Unable to help it, he actually laughed, and when he saw he was on the receiving end of one very impressive glare, he just smiled. "Kagome, what do I do for a living?" When she blinked, he shrugged. "I can't deny that some of the calls I get come in at very inconvenient times, but do you honestly think I'm playing games behind your back just to crawl right back into bed with you? I know I'm an asshole, but fuck, Woman, I'm not that bad."

She wanted to believe him, Kagome really did, but after everything Inuyasha put her through toward the end of their relationship, and all the assurances he had given her about the same thing, part of her flat out refused to give Bankotsu the benefit of the doubt.

And he could clearly see that fact in her eyes.

Clicking his tongue, Bankotsu pushed himself to stand. "Come with me." When she gave no indication she was going to give in this time, he rolled his eyes. Reaching out, he grabbed her gently by the forearm, pulled her away from the water heater, and bent at the waist, easily hoisting her tiny ass over his shoulder.

While at first she put up a decent fight, one swift crack on the ass and she stopped, crossing her arms on Bankotsu's back and glaring at the floor as she was carried through the halls. When she heard a snicker, Kagome cut her eyes to Hiten, who was quick enough to avert his eyes and clear his throat, though there was still a grin on his lips.

On his way back to his office, Bankotsu ignored everyone who cast him a look, not giving a singular damn as to anyone's thoughts on how he handled his girl. He never yelled at her, he didn't get physical with her, and even then she could break his hold if she really wanted to because it wasn't that tight.

And she did once she saw the very distinct flooring of his office. Bankotsu didn't let her hit the ground, but when she made it very clear she wanted down, he easily acquiesced and set her on her feet. While her eyes went straight to Sesshoumaru, who hadn't moved from the chair he had been in when she saw him a few minutes ago, she shifted them to Bankotsu when he came back from picking something up from his desk.

Holding out his cell phone, something he didn't hand over to anyone, crossed his arms when Kagome took it like it was going explode. "Down one, over one, up one, over one, down one. Go ahead. Call whoever you want."

Glancing down at the phone, face looking like she was waiting for the device to bite her, Kagome's lips pressed together as she flicked them back to Bankotsu. "Do I need to?"

Bankotsu shrugged. "Obviously." Uncrossing his arms, he grabbed Kagome by the hips and pulled her to him, lowering his voice so only she could hear him as he set his forehead against hers. "While I admit I wish it wasn't necessary, I do understand there being some issues with trust because of the last guy you were with. This is no different than two weeks ago when I handed over my security codes to prove I was taking the situation seriously. I take things with you very seriously, so if I have to hand over my phone to prove I'm not running around on you, then so be it. I have nothing to hide from you."

Pulling back an inch, Kagome played with the phone in her hands as she lifted a brow. "Nothing?"

Rolling his head on his shoulders, Bankotsu made a noise in the back of his throat. "Nothing about those three AM phone calls."

Lips twisting to the side, Kagome's eyes hardened. "That's not the same as 'nothing'."

Releasing her hips, Bankotsu crossed his arms again. "It's exactly the same thing as nothing until you decide whether or not you're actually in this. Until _you_ make that determination, you don't get to know every single in and out of what I do all day. You know what I do is dangerous. You know the people who I do business with are dangerous. But see, here's the thing; if you can't trust me to take a phone call in the middle of the night when I told you up front the kind of people I protect people from without getting pissed off or making accusations, then how the fuck do you expect me to trust you with that same information? Even still, despite that, any time I took those those calls all you had to do was ask who it was and I would have told you, but you didn't. So really, who do you have to blame here but yourself?" After a pregnant pause where Kagome said nothing, Bankotsu licked his lips. "I completely understand you're coming off a very, very fucked up break up and a whole bunch of bullshit that followed it, but I'm not him, and you need to stop acting like I am."

Looking at the phone in her hands, Kagome could not remember a time she felt so damn _small_. She was already nearly a foot shorter than the man in front of her, but damn if she didn't feel about five inches tall in that moment. She knew she wasn't really being fair when it came to certain things. Bankotsu had nearly gone out of his way to prove to her she could trust him, and in more ways than just giving her free and full access to his entire business, which he had yet to take away like she thought he would. He had given her a new, and much easier to remember security code, but it still granted her the same freedoms as his own, which to her absolute shock, included access to his estate, because the coding system for the building was the same as the one for his home. He hadn't given her keys to actually go inside the house, but there wasn't a lot of doubt on her part her code would work on the security system panel. She was also damn near positive he would if she asked for them with the way he constantly bitched about staying at the Townhouse every night.

The shower was too small. The bed was too hard. There was no privacy. He could hear the neighbors through the walls. He had to put back on dirty clothes in the morning. He didn't like waking up so fucking early when he didn't have to be at the office until nine. The list was never ending, every morning there seemed to be something new to add to it, but he dealt with it so she would comfortable.

He had literally turned his life upside down for her when he absolutely did not have to. He had done more to help her in the two weeks she's known him than people she's known her entire life. He had bent over backwards to make sure she had everything she needed, including the ability to feel safe for the first time in a long time, and comparing him to the worst mistake of her life was how she decided to repay him. He was making contention after contention for her while she wasn't even willing to give him the benefit of a doubt just because she had dated a douche.

Good Kami, she felt like a bitch.

Feeling fully and completely chastised, Kagome let out a sigh through her nose as she held Bankotsu's phone out to him to take back. Though her voice was soft, it carried an almost pleading tone. "I wasn't ready for another... actual relationship, so if you're as serious about this as you say you are, you're going to have to be patient. You can't get mad at me for reacting to similarities, Bankotsu, especially when even though I could have asked about those calls, you also could have just told me." Once he took his phone, she flicked her eyes over to Sesshoumaru for a moment before looking back up at Bankotsu. "And no more hiding shit just to avoid an argument. Shockingly, I'm not a real big fan of this kind of surprise."

Crossing his arms, phone still in hand, Bankotsu gave a slow nod of his head. "Fair enough." Uncrossing an arm, he pointed a finger at her. "But you have a decision to make here, Little Dove." Recrossing his arms, he leveled her with the most serious look he had ever given her. "If you want to know everything, fine, but that comes with a price."

Nose wrinkling and lip curling, Kagome scoffed. "Like?"

Once again dipping his head, Bankotsu touched the tips of their noses, his lips nearly brushing hers as he answered. "This is for good."

Rearing back like the words smacked her across the face, Kagome looked at him in a shocked stupor. "I beg your pardon?"

Grin in place, eyes shining, Bankotsu chuckled as he straightened his spine. "I'm positive you heard me."

Tripping over her tongue, Kagome stuttered, knowing she wasn't making any sense because she knew she wasn't making actual words. Once again, she heard a snicker behind her, and if asked why she reacted the way the she did, she would never be able answer as to why she grabbed Bankotsu's gun from the holster on his hip.

Bankotsu, however, stopped her from actually being able to point it at anyone.

Grabbing her wrist, he easily disarmed her, and with fire in his eyes, kept his hold on Kagome's wrist as he snapped at her. "One, the chamber is empty. Two, the safety is on. Three, you never pull a gun unless you actually intend to pull the trigger. Four, don't you _ever_ do that again. Do you understand?" It wasn't until Kagome nodded he let her go, pulling his shirt free from the waist of his pants and wiping her prints from the handle before reholstering the firearm and clipping the strap into place to keep it where it belonged. Crossing his arms again, his glare was gone but his voice was still hard. "I know you're under an immense amount of stress right now, but shooting someone doesn't really do anything to lessen that." Flicking his irritated eyes to the no longer amused Hiten, "no matter how much they might deserve it."

Not looking away until after Hiten did, Bankotsu returned his eyes to Kagome, who looked ready to burst into tears. Clicking his tongue, he crooked a finger under her chin and lifted her head to look her in the eyes. Every ounce of anger and irritation from the moments prior gone, he tilted his head to this side. "Go upstairs and calm down. I'll be up when I'm finished here."

Kagome did nothing but say 'okay' and then leave the office, giving Hiten the middle finger as she past him on her way to the hall.

Bankotsu, shaking his head, cast one more glare in his guard's direction before turning to go back to his desk and finish the conversation he was having with Sesshoumaru, having no intention, whatsoever, of discussing a damn thing about just happened.


	11. Chapter 11

Stepping into the safehouse, Bankotsu shrugged off his blazer and tossed it over the arm of a chair, the gun that had been on his hip joining the jacket once the holster was unhooked from his belt. Unbuttoning the cuffs of his sleeves, he rolled them to the elbow, the whole time, his eyes never leaving the woman sitting on the floor, her head leaned back against the wall with her attention out the window.

He didn't say anything as he made his way across the room, or when he crossed his arms and leaned his shoulder against the glass. Standing in front of Kagome, but giving her a couple of feet of space, Bankotsu turned his head and looked out over the city below, ordering the shit in his mind into a list of importance.

He wasn't dense. He knew the biggest problem right in that moment, was the level of stress the girl was under, and when someone's tolerance for bullshit is stretched as thin as hers, they do things they wouldn't normally do under regular circumstances. But what he was having trouble with, was figuring out _why_ she was so stressed out. He did grasp the concept that being in the middle of something like she was in the middle of could be extremely stressful, but he also knew that she hadn't _been_ in the middle of anything until three days ago.

Sesshoumaru had laid out the last six months of the onna's life in near perfect detail, which was why Bankotsu had sort of wanted Kagome to be present for that part of the conversation. Bankotsu had every question he had answered, and he didn't even have to ask for it.

It didn't need to be pointed out to him, but he discovered just how bad Inuyasha was at the whole killing someone thing, and had absolutely no understanding about when it was time to keep his fucking mouth shut. It wasn't just that he told everyone he knew what he was doing, but he didn't even keep his voice down when he was bitching about not being able to accomplish what was actually very easy. It was so much harder to keep someone alive than it was to kill them, and he fucked it up at every turn. There were literally thousands of ways to end a life, and his inept ass couldn't even get one right.

It would be sad if it wasn't so fucking pathetic.

Bankotsu now knew that the man in Kagome's apartment the night he met her was Inuyasha himself, and that was when Taishi learned Kagome was with him, and he lost his window of opportunity, which was why her apartment had been destroyed. Inuyasha had a tantrum. There had been someone waiting in a car in the back of the parking lot, the 'getaway driver', as it were, and the dude had seen him when he arrived to figure out what he was dealing with and looking for one thing or another back up the woman's claims, who then told Taishi, who didn't want to dance with him.

If he could say anything, Bankotsu would give Inuyasha one point of brilliance, but that was it, and it was choosing the revolver. That style of gun came with the built in countermeasure of not dispensing shells, making leaving the scene much faster if you don't want to leave evidence. But... just as quickly as he gave it, he took it away because the stupid bastard left an unspent bullet at the scene like a dumbass. It might not be able to be linked to a gun, but Bankotsu was positive there was a fingerprint, which meant a gun wasn't needed to link anyone to anything.

Idiot.

However, once Inuyasha knew who was watching Kagome's ass, he stopped then and there, and there had been no other effort on Taishi's part in the day shy of two weeks since Bankotsu met the girl.

To that point, if they hadn't met under the circumstances they did, with that singular event to back it up, Bankotsu wouldn't even had known there was ever a threat to Kagome's life that wasn't in her head. He had given her a laundry list of explanations for the events prior to Miroku bringing her into the club, and had he not seen someone in the shadows of her apartment, he would have chalked the whole thing up to an overactive imagination. He would have still given her the same offer he did because he did not possess the ability to walk away from a woman that was as scared as she clearly was, but he couldn't say for certain he would have taken shit as seriously as he did, or take such a personal interest in the situation.

If he was being honest, he would have rathered he met Kagome under completely different circumstances than what happened. The first time they did anything, they were inexcusably drunk, and for as confident as he was, there was a part of him that couldn't help but wonder if it continued because she felt she owed him something, and since they already fucked, it wasn't a big deal to keep doing it. It had taken her three days to acknowledge him changing their relationship status, but he couldn't say for certain she didn't do it under duress.

He didn't like having questions when it came to his personal relationships. It was one of the reasons he didn't have them. He was a twenty-six year old millionaire, so in the back of his mind there was always the lingering curiosity over whether the woman he was seeing was actually interested in him, or just what he could provide her. When it came to Kagome, though, he just couldn't seem to help himself because he knew there wasn't a manipulative bone in the girl's body. She was as genuine as genuine got, and that was half the fucking problem.

She was genuinely terrified.

Moving his eyes from the cityscape, Bankotsu looked down at the woman herself, frowning at the tear tracks on her cheeks and the ball she had herself curled into with her knees to her chest and arms wrapped around them. She looked defeated, and it tore at him. The appearance of her on the verge of giving up was what finally got him talking.

Uncrossing an arm, Bankotsu ran his fingers through his bangs and let out a breath through the corner of his lips. "Alright, here's the thing." Running the tip of his tongue along his teeth, he glanced away for a moment, and when he looked back, he saw her looking up at him, fear in her eyes. "You can't just pull a gun on someone, Kagome. You never know if they're carrying or not, and you don't know if they're willing to do what you aren't. Hiten carries, and you know he does. If you were literally anyone else, before you even touched my gun, there would have been a bullet in the back of your head."

Closing her eyes, Kagome sniffled as she shook her head. "I don't..." dropping her forehead on her knees, "...know what I was thinking."

Bankotsu just shrugged. "That's because you weren't thinking, which happens occasionally." When he saw her eyes again, he smiled at her. "It was a lapse in judgement, Little Dove. It happens to the best of us, and it's nothing to beat yourself up over. Just don't do it again, alright? Once is an opps. Twice it becomes a choice."

Kagome was quick to nod her head, but didn't say anything, just returned her attention back out the window, taking time to order her own thoughts, or at least taking the time to make sure they made sense. She wasn't just upset over the debatical with Bankotsu's gun a half hour ago. There were several other things that plagued her, and she wasn't sure where to start; or even if there was a good place _to_ start. She didn't want anything to come across in a way she didn't mean, but at the same time, she didn't want there to be a cloud of stupid shit hanging over her head, either.

One thing Bankotsu was good at, though, was giving her all the time in the world to do whatever it was she wanted to do. He didn't care if she left him waiting for an hour or better; he proved that when she purposely took forever getting ready to go to dinner two nights ago. He said nothing, just sat on the couch, playing a game on his phone, and smiled at her when she finally decided he had waited long enough. Hell, she had even used the first twenty minutes to take a nap, just to see what happened, and nothing did.

So, using his never ending patience with her against him, Kagome remained quiet for another three minutes before she sighed, turning her head and looking back up at Bankotsu, who was just looking back at her, and licked her lips. "I think..." running her fingers through her hair with a sniffle, "...this whole thing would be easier to deal with if it just didn't seem so damn pointless. I mean, like, I just don't understand. If he wanted to be with her, which he obviously did, why do this?" Shaking her head and lowering her eyes, she shrugged. "I don't get it."

Lips twisting as he let out a slow breath through his nose, Bankotsu pushed himself off the window he was leaning against, closed the small distance there had been between them and crouched. Reaching his hands out, he wrapped his fingers around Kagome's calves and waited until those chocolate eyes of hers were looking at him once again.

Tucking his bottom lip over his teeth and running his tongue across it, he tried to come up with the nicest way to phrase what he needed to say, but when he realized there wasn't a nice way to put it, he just lifted both shoulders and sighed. "We talked about that, Kagome; the night we met, remember?" He saw her shrug again, and he licked his lips. "Because to a guy like him, you're not a person; you're property. You're something to possess. Narcissists like Inuyasha are all about control, and if they can't control the person, they control how others see that person."

Lowering her eyes once again, Kagome gave a shallow nod. "I remember you saying that before, but that's not what I meant." Flicking her eyes back to Bankotsu's, she licked her lips. "What I meant was, I don't understand... why. I get the 'if I can't have you no one can' thing. It's one of the most widely used plots in literature, but I don't understand this. Inuyasha didn't stalk and try to kill Kikyo when they broke up when she left for school. He was also seeing me and Kikyo both for months before I found out, and..."

Bankotsu cut in with a click of his tongue. "It's my understanding they never officially broke up."

Jerking back with a blink, Kagome choked on her response. "I'm sorry?"

With a shrug of a shoulder, Bankotsu drummed his fingers on the backs of Kagome's legs. "Sesshoumaru told me they never actually ended the relationship. They just agreed that when she was there and he was here, they could do whatever they wanted. Apparently, after they left the restaurant and got back to the manor, there was one hell of an argument over you because Inuyasha was supposed to have ended your relationship when she came back, and he hadn't. It came out during the argument that if Inuyasha left you and went back to her, his father would cut him off completely."

Kagome almost felt like she was going to throw up. "So, he really did ruin my life over money." When Bankotsu made a face of agreement, she scoffed. "I fucking knew it. Before, it was only an assumption." Shaking her head and looking back out the window, she grunted. "I hate being right after being so fucking wrong."

Despite the topic at hand, Bankotsu couldn't help the chuckle that slipped past his lips. "Hindsight's a bitch, ain't it?"

The noise that came out of Kagome was a cross between a snort and a scoff. "Among other things." Scratching the back of her head, she cut her eyes back to Bankotsu, her brows drawn. "So, if it really wasn't him the other day, who was it?"

At the eventually expected question, all Bankotsu could do was shrug. "See, that? I don't know, yet. I'm working on it, through."

Biting into the corner of her lip, Kagome decided to see just how open he would be with her since he told her not an hour ago all she had to do was ask and he would answer. So, with a light clearing of her throat, she looked up at through her lashes. "How?"

Ever so slowly, a smirk pulled at Bankotsu's lips as his eyes ignited in amusement. In that moment, he was positive the girl's curiosity would eventually end up getting her either in a lot of trouble or straight up killed, but at the same time, he did tell her all she had to do was ask. However, it wasn't a simple answer. There were several things he was doing, very few of them even remotely legal, and he decided he would continue to not tell her everything and went with the easiest to believe answer. "I have a few friends of mine in law enforcement looking into the licence plate of the bike that was used. I'll find him through process of elimination if nothing else."

He was proved right about that being a believable answer when Kagome nodded to it, but she also pushed further, even when she knew she absolutely shouldn't. "And, if that doesn't work?"

A spark entered the back of Bankotsu's eyes that set Kagome's teeth on edge, but when his voice seemed to change, she gulped. He would have let it go if she had left it at that, but since she decided to push for more, she had clearly made her choice, and he gave her the most fucked up answer she could have gotten. "Then I intend to kill everyone that has a bike that even remotely resembles the one that was used, just to make sure I kill the right fucking one." When he saw her eyes widen, he smirked. "I'm nice to you because I like you, but I'm not a nice guy, Kagome; far from it, actually. The life of some random bastard doesn't mean shit to me."

It felt as if the breath was stolen from her lungs as she started at Bankotsu in abject horror. "But... but that's hundreds of innocent people."

It was that point Bankotsu set her innocent sensitivities aside and laid it out on the line. "You have no absolutely idea what kind place this city really is, do you? You don't know what kind of monsters hide in the shadows, just waiting for their moment to shine. It is honestly the cutest fucking thing I have ever seen. No one is innocent, Kagome. Babies, maybe, but that's about the only time of their lives anyone is truly innocent. Anymore, innocent is a subjective term at best. I made you a promise, and just like when I made it, I don't care how many people I have to kill to keep it."

Swallowing hard back the lump in her throat, Kagome all but whispered. "I never asked you to do that."

Bankotsu, however, merely popped up a shoulder. "You've never asked me to do anything, but that hasn't stopped me from doing any of it." Tightening his grip on Kagome's legs, he leaned a little closer to her, lowering his voice. "When you make the choice to push for more from me, you make the unilateral decision to have to put more out on your part, too. I would have let it go if you did, leaving it at the perfectly acceptable, as well as legal, answer of having what happened handled by law enforcement. Now you have no choice but to decide, Little Dove, how much further you're ready to push that line of yours."

Once again, Kagome knew she should just go ahead and keep her damn mouth shut, but the question was out before she could stop herself. "Have you already killed someone because of me?"

He had, but he very much doubted she actually wanted to know that the guy who threw that plate of food in her face paid for it like he did. It might have been a slight overreaction, but honesty, he had killed people for less. He could also tell by the look in her eyes she knew the answer without him actually confirming it.

Kagome, breaking eye contact, licked her lips as she looked out the window. "I don't really need to know anymore."

Bankotsu, with a slow nod of his head, was actually very fast in regaining her attention. "Fair enough, but see now we have a little problem." When her eyes locked on his again, the question of 'what's that' burning in the depths, he grinned. "What little you do know, is already too much. I told you downstairs certain answers came with a certain level of commitment, and you asked for the wrong ones for me to ever let you walk away."

There was only one other time in her life Kagome was completely and utterly unable to think of a response, and that was when she was little and her mother told her her father wasn't coming home. It had taken another few months before she fully understood the concept of death and the finality of it, but that was the only other time her brain shut down on her... and she knew what she was doing as she was doing it. She knew she was pushing too far, asking for too much. She knew what she was told and she knew the moment she should have stopped asking questions, but she did it anyway.

It hadn't even been an hour ago she was told learning Bankotsu's secrets came with a price, so it wasn't like she could claim she didn't know what asking those last two questions was going to lead to.

Looking away again with a hard sigh through her nose, Kagome licked her lips and cleared her throat. "I know." Then, to Bankotsu's slight shock, she shrugged as she flicked her eyes back to his. "At least you don't have to be so careful about what you say around me anymore, right?"

Lips pursing, Bankotsu slowly shook his head. "Your... innocence is going to get you killed someday. You know that, right?"

She lifted a brow at him. "You just said innocence doesn't exist."

Rolling his eyes, Bankotsu snorted. "Alright. Your naivete is going to get you killed. Either way, if you think this is the end of it, you're out of your fucking mind. But, I guess, if that's what you want, I'll be sure to keep it in mind. It'll certainly make shit easier, I'll give you that."

Something should be said for the way Bankotsu was able to make Kagome lose the ability to keep her damn mouth shut. It was like he had the magic key to unlock her verbal filter so the first thing that pops in her head comes out of her mouth.

"How much worse does it get?"

His signature smirk pulled at Bankotsu's lips as he chuckled. "Questioning that, you may as well go ahead and ask me to marry you, Baby, because that's about the only way you're gonna get that answer."

Eyes wide and expression incredulous, Kagome slowly shook her head. "I am not asking that."

Looking Kagome dead in the eyes with a face colored in pure amusement, Bankotsu snorted. "Then this might be a good time to stop asking questions."

Biting into her bottom lip, Kagome tilted her head from side to side a couple of times before releasing her lip and letting out a breath. "I have just, one more." When she saw him cock a brow at her, her eyes hardened. "Why is my apartment empty and all my stuff thrown in a dumpster, completely unsalvageable?"

Face pinching, Bankotsu shrugged. "You think I would know that how, exactly?"

Crossing her arms, Kagome glared. "Because the buyout check has your fucking name on it. It's why I came to see you in your office in the first damn place."

Bankotsu's nose wrinkled as he pulled his hands back and dropped them over his thighs. "Let's not pretend you ever intended on going back to that place."

Her anger from before returning, Kagome's glare darkened. "That's not the fucking point! That son of a bitch threw my shit away, Bankotsu; all of it. So, because you're the one that basically gave him licence to do it, you get to pay to replace every bit of it."

A level of challenge entered Bankotsu's eyes as he moved a hand behind him, pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, and held it out to his pissed off girlfriend. "Here... go nuts."

A mirroring look sparked in Kagome's eyes as she snatched the offering and hoisted herself to her feet, Bankotsu standing with her and crossing his arms.

"After the day I've had because of you, I intend to."


	12. Chapter 12

It really should go without saying that, when you're angry, you shouldn't do anything until you've calmed down. This memo wasn't given to Kagome, so armed with something akin to righteous anger and a millionaire's credit cards, she took Bankotsu's words of 'go nuts' to a whole new fucking level.

Having no idea what he was going to say when he found out she spent thousands of dollars, she stood outside Hiten's SUV, staring at Bankotsu's convertible that sat innocently in the driveway of her borrowed house... she was borrowing from him.

It was another moment of hindsight being a bitch. While she was shopping, she enjoyed herself immensely. It was more fun than she had had in a long time, and Hiten and Ryu made it more enjoyable for her with their fucked up commentary about her ass when she showed off what she picked out for their opinions. They would wolf whistle or cat call, just acting like a couple of damn fools, much to her amusement and to the irritation of the sale consultants. She had lost track of how many times they were told to quiet down, and how many times they completely ignored the request.

When they first got to the mall, she started out in the lower end stores, honestly only intending to replace some of her clothes that had been thrown away with everything else she owned, but Hiten, to her shock after trying to pull a gun on him, was the one that snagged her arm and pulled her into a more expensive store. She did protest at first, but he just grinned at her before shoving her into the possession of a personal shopper with a wink. Within five minutes she figured out that shit was payback for the whole debatical back at Bankotsu's office, because God damn, was that man fucking horrible. He didn't listen to a word she said about not liking something, and he wouldn't take no for an answer when it came to trying anything on. It took ten minutes before Kagome was glaring at the shopper, and an additional five before she stormed out of the store. She knew personal shoppers earned commission, but she refused to be someone else's paycheck if that someone else was going to be a cock, and when Hiten and Ryu caught up with her, she actually verbally apologized to Hiten for the incident.

After that, and slightly lost in where she wanted to go, there was a little bit of aimless walking before a summer dress in a window display caught Kagome's eye. It had taken some convincing, but she was eventually talked into trying it on. With her teeth in her bottom lip, even knowing it was in the window in the third most expensive store in the entire building, Kagome agreed and followed the guys into the store. Not only did it fit her like a damn glove, it was almost like everything on the hangers was made for her.

It was that point the shopping trip took a turn for the better, and Kagome started to have fun. She had never before been able to go into whatever store she wanted, try on whatever she wanted, and know she could have it if it turned out she wanted it. It didn't help matters that everything she tried on ended up on the checkout counter, whether she showed interest in buying it or not. However, when she saw the relatively small pile of clothes compared to the bursting closet and dresser she had, her anger from that morning returned. She lost thousands of dollars of clothing, so she just stood there with her arms crossed as Hiten handed over Bankotsu's credit card she had given to him in the car.

She might not have had such a rock in her stomach when she got home if the thousands she spent would have been done over time like how she acquired what was thrown away, but she didn't. She wasn't sure exactly how much of her mind she lost over the five stores she went to, but now that she actually had to face Bankotsu, she was more than slightly hesitant to go inside.

Hearing a chuckle next to her, Kagome turned her head up to look at Hiten, taking in his amused smirk and laughing eyes. Her lips pressed together in a hard line, she took a deep breath in through her nose and let it out slowly before speaking. "He's gonna kill me."

Hiten, however just snorted. "No he's not." When he saw Kagome cock a brow at him, he rolled his eyes. "You still haven't figured this shit out yet, have you, Dove?"

Blinking at him, Kagome's lip curled. "Figured what out?"

Scoffing another snort, Hiten shook his head before looking Kagome in the eyes. "You're a smart girl, so you should really stop trying so hard to play stupid. He loves you."

Rearing back like those words smacked her in the face, Kagome was very quick to shake her head and choke on her words. "No he doesn't."

Looking to the sky, Hiten then uncrossed his arms and moved from standing next to the hard headed woman to standing in front of her, his hands flat on his truck to either side of her head. Bending at the waist, he got nearly nose to nose with her, lowering his voice when he spoke. "You don't get to decide that. I've known Bank for fifteen years. We've been friends since middle school. Now, I don't what it is about you, but I've seen him with every girl he's ever been with, and not once has he given any of them an all access pass to his entire life. I've never seen him look at any of them the way he looks at you. For all the women that's come and gone, never before have I seen him actually afraid to lose any single one of them."

Licking her lips, Kagome gave a light clearing of her throat. "How... how many other women?"

A smirk pulled a Hiten's lips. "Kind of irrelevant to the point." Lowering his voice even more, he was now all but whispering. "Here's a little insight into the mind of a man, Dove. We don't feel fear until we feel love. They go hand in hand for us, and no man looks at a woman with the level of fear in his eyes like Bankotsu looked at you the other day without an equal level of love for her. I was across the street and I saw it, so I'm not really sure how the hell you missed it when it was right in front of you."

Jerking back once again, and fighting the wince when she smacked the back of her head on the window behind her, Kagome blinked and shook her head. "No... no, that fear was because he was shot at, too. I know he likes me, but he was just doing his job."

Cutting his eyes to the side, Hiten ran his tongue along the bottoms of his teeth, the corner of his top lip curling slightly. When he looked back, his dark eyes locked on Kagome's and his voice rang with a finality Kagome had never heard before. "You aren't a job to him, and honestly, you hardly ever were. Fear isn't Bankotsu's fallback in that situation. He doesn't get scared when bullets start flying. He gets insurmountably angry when someone just fires a gun in his general direction; more so when they're fired directly at him. Did he get pissed off? Yeah, _after_ he made sure you were alright. If you weren't so fucking stubborn, you would see that." With that, he pushed himself off his car and took a step back.

Kagome followed Hiten with her eyes as he went to the trunk to gather her bags, her eyes flicking momentarily to Ryu, who was looking at her with the same look in his eyes that Hiten had before he turned away from her. She couldn't figure out what they were seeing she wasn't. She did know he liked her. He told her that, several times. If she actually let herself think back on it, he had, more than once, eluded to deeper feelings than what she thought was appropriate for the length of time, but she refused to. Was she really that jaded she was overlooking something that was clearly obvious to others?

No... she couldn't be. He had always so adamant about being super careful about who saw them together. Even after the shooting, when he flatout declared a claim on her he still didn't have a lot to do with public displays of affection. Sure, there was that tiny little peck the day of the shooting, but that was it. She was at that point convinced Hiten was seeing shit that wasn't there, but before she could walk away with a huff and face the music of what she did to Bankotsu's credit card balance, Ryu dipped his head and spoke in her ear.

"When you spend twenty-four seven with someone, you either fall in love, or learn what true hate is. Tell me, would you hand over a no-limit credit card to someone you hate?"

Head snapping to look at the man with wide eyes, Kagome's lips parted as she let out a hard breath. A slight horror was in her eyes as she shook her head, looking between Ryu and Hiten before she pushed herself off the truck. "Stop it. Both of you are out of your minds, you don't know what you're talking about, so I will thank you both if you just fucking stop it."

Hiten, watching Kagome storm away and toward the front door, shook his head as he handed off a couple of the shopping bags to Ryu. "Stubborn little bitch." There was a scoffed snort from Ryu, but other than that, the two men followed after their charge.

Standing in the living room, Kagome was in a staring contest with a smirking Bankotsu, and the longer the silence stretched, the more she began to fidget. After a near solid two minutes, Kagome cleared her throat. "I uh... um..." Playing with her fingers, she watched a brow slowly slid up to hide behind Bankotsu's bangs, and she licked her lips. "I'm going to return most of it. I just uh... see, like, um... each beep of the register was like punching you in the face, and I was mad, and, so..."

Though the amused expression never left Bankotsu's face, the corner of his lips pulled down as he slowly nodded his head. "Pissed you off that much today, did I?" Seeing her lift her shoulders and make a face, he then shifted his eyes to Hiten and Ryu. "Gentlemen, take the bags upstairs and burn the receipts."

Horrified, Kagome whipped around. "What? No!" Looking back to Bankotsu and watching him cock a brow at her, she tripped over her breath. "I can't return anything without the receipts."

A smooth grin parted Bankotsu's lips as he leaned over the kitchen counter, his voice lowering slightly. "I'm aware." Straightening his spine, Bankotsu crossed his arms. "You didn't honestly think you were going to run my credit card that many times, in places I don't spend money, for those amounts, and me not have to approve those transactions, did you?"

Jaw dropping slightly, Kagome was once again forced to shrug. "I... didn't really think about it."

Nodding slowly, Bankotsu cocked his head. "And, if I had an issue with the purchases, do you really think I would've done so?"

Kagome slowly shook her head. "Again, I didn't really think about it, but we're talking like five thou..."

Bankotsu cut in at that point. "Seven... we're talking seven." As a green tint started to take over his girl's normally pale color, he chuckled. "You don't get to get sick until your wardrobe costs more than mine. Until then, swallow the bile, Baby, before I send you back to the mall." Then, he winked at her.

When he did so, Kagome actually had to gulp back the gag at the statement. Her eyes were wide and her lips were parted, but she did attempt to talk through her shock. "You... you really don't care I spent that much?"

Bankotsu, lips turning down again, shrugged as he laced his fingers together, leaning with his forearms on the top of the kitchen counter. "Nope. When I handed you my wallet and told you to go nuts, that's exactly what I meant. If it became a problem, I would have denied the charges were mine or just locked the damn card, either of which would have put a very quick end to your little shopping spree this afternoon."

Lips pursing, Kagome stood with her arms loosely wrapped around her stomach, her head lowered but looking at Bankotsu through her lashes. It wasn't often she was left speechless, but she was at a complete loss for anything to say in response. It was a very off putting feeling, if she was honest. She almost always had something to say to whatever he said her, able to go back and forth for hours, but in that moment, she was rendered silent by shock, and she didn't like it. She knew it wasn't really a competition, but she still felt like she was losing the battle.

Bankotsu stood at the kitchen counter, watching Kagome's thoughts fly through her dark eyes, and waited for her catch up with current events. He would admit he made the mistake of underestimating the property manager's hatred for the woman when he bought out her lease. The angry little imp absolutely held a massive grudge against her for whole deadbolt debatical, but that wasn't where it ended. The property's owner was facing massive fines and possible jail time because it was 'discovered' fire codes weren't being met due to there being no safe secondary exit from the majority of the interior units, which almost got the manager fired. The only reason it didn't was the manager was the owner's cousin.

This was why Bankotsu refused to work with family. It always turned into a mess eventually.

More to the point, however, Kagome had every reason to be as pissed off at him as she was over it, because it was his fuck up that cost her what little she had. Not only did he make the mistake of underestimating the little man's hated, he also made the mistake of not thoroughly reading the stupid lease. He did skim it, but he was looking for something specific, and didn't read past the point of finding it. It wasn't until after Kagome told him her belongings were thrown away after the fact he took a second look and found the fine print, so to speak. There was a very small window of time between buyout and move out before whatever was left behind was considered abandoned and tossed, and it was forty-eight hours; a forty-eight hour clock that expired ten hours prior to Kagome storming into his office, by which time it was too late to do anything about it. It did, though, finally make sense to him why she continued to pay for the apartment. She had nowhere else to put her things, making it completely his fault her shit was either thrown away or kept to be sold it if it had any significant value.

There were other reasons, of course, but they weren't all that significant comparatively. Whether he liked the girl or not was actually pretty fucking irrelevant. If it wouldn't have been his fault her apartment was emptied out, he wouldn't replace a damn thing that was in it.

That, however, he knew was a flat out lie.

Truth be told, he would spoil the girl absolutely fucking rotten if she let him, and honestly, if what happened with her apartment wouldn't have and she just wanted new shit, he would have gotten it for her simply because she asked him to. In this particular moment in time, however, she was clearly not ready to hear anything of the sort, nor was he ready to admit why he wanted to spoil her in such a way, even to himself. So, instead, he decided to continue the narrative that him funding her shopping spree was purely out of obligation and had nothing to do with his desires.

The staring contest between the pair was overseen above their heads by Hiten and Ryu, who were standing at the railing of the second floor balcony. Both of them were in the same position, their weight being held by their forearms on the wooden railing with their ankles crossed. Though their expressions were different, they had the same thoughts running through their minds. Neither one could understand why both Bankotsu and Kagome were being so stubborn about their relationship, especially when it came to their boss. They both knew they didn't know Kagome well enough to know exactly how she ticked, but they knew exactly how Bankotsu worked, and in their opinion, he wasn't acting like himself,and hadn't been. He wasn't one to let someone else's personal boundaries affect his actions, but clearly, Kagome had gotten so far under his skin, he had lost his objectivity.

Hiten had meant every word he said to the girl outside. He had seen it in Bankotsu's eyes that Kagome meant more to him than he was probably willing to admit, and that was where a big problem lied. Calling a spade and spade, Bankotsu had technically blackmailed the woman into the position of significant other, and Kagome knew it. He had basically used her well known curiosity against her, knowing if there was a question laid before her to ask, she would do so, and she did. It was clear-cut, blatant corrosion on his part, but at the same time, an out was given. All she had to do was keep her mouth shut and let the questions in her mind go unasked, but she didn't.

Was it a set up? Clearly, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was Kagome had no idea what the fuck she had involved herself in over the last couple of weeks, and for all the off limits questions she did ask, she refused to go the distance and demand a full picture; a full picture she wouldn't get without prompt. It was certainly safer for her if she didn't know what kind of crap when on behind closed doors, but at the same time, she was under wrong fucking impression, and the only one that could clear up the misconception was Bankotsu, and he didn't seem overly inclined to do so.

Cutting his eyes to Ryu's, Hiten saw his own thoughts swirling in his partner's eyes. Things between the couple below them were reaching a critical precipice, but neither one knew which way shit was going to fall. Obviously, the relationship between Bankotsu and Kagome would be much different, and probably go much smoother had they met under different circumstances, but the situation between them as it stood was mind bogglingly dangerous, and if neither one was willing to bend, one of the two was going to break.


	13. Chapter 13

"Holy shit."

Feeling a dark, hot blush creep across her nose, Kagome held her arms out to the side, turning a circle at the bottom of the stairs. "So this is okay then? I've never been to a party like this, so I wasn't sure what to wear."

Bending his arms behind him, Bankotsu leaned on the kitchen counter, letting his eyes rake over his girlfriend's form, taking in the sight she made. Her dress was black, tight, and mostly sheer, leaving very little to the imagination. The important parts were covered by black satin, the solid skirt touching around the mid thigh while the see through lace overlay touched the floor. The body of the dress had circular cut outs on the sides, giving anyone who looked at her a great view of the skin underneath. Around her neck was a lace choker with three delicately draped chains, what looked like a diamond hanging from each one, and her ears boasted matching dangling earrings.

Bankotsu answered her question as his eyes made their way back up to Kagome's eyes. "You look stunning."

When Kagome noticed Bankotsu's eyes linger on the choker, she covered the jewels with her hand and cleared her throat. "It's costume jewelry. They aren't real."

A brow slowly raising to his bangs, Bankotsu nodded slowly as he clicked his tongue. "I see. So, when given the opportunity to pick whatever you wanted, you picked out pretty, shiny, fake, crap." Seeing Kagome's nose wrinkle, he shook his head as he stood up, sliding a case off the counter and walking across the living room. "It looks very nice, regardless of authenticity." Standing in front of his girlfriend, he presented her the case, lifting the lid while speaking. "These, though, are very real."

Dropping her eyes from Bankotsu's face to the presented offering, Kagome gasped as her hands came up to cover her mouth. Lying on the velvet lining were two identical diamond, cuff style bracelets with white gold slide latches. Voice breathless as she slightly lowered her fingertips, Kagome swallowed hard. "They're... gorgeous, but you really shouldn't have."

Lifting a shoulder as he picked one up and set the case on the table that ran the wall made from the staircase, he made a noise in the back of his throat as he took one of her hands and turned it over. Latching the first bracelet in place, he looked at Kagome as he picked up the other. "But I did. Other hand."

There was a momentary internal struggle on Kagome's part. She wasn't sure if she could actually accept such expensive gifts from him, especially after spending so much of his money just a few days ago. It was that thought that gave her pause, too. She hadn't found out exactly how much of his money she spent, but, he hadn't cared. She told him she was going to return most of it, and he attempted to make it to where she couldn't.

Then, she was hit with the reminder of something Bankotsu said during their first actual fight in his office; that he wasn't Inuyasha, and she needed to stop acting like he was. Never once in the time she was with her ex did anything he bought for her feel organic. The 'just because' presents stopped after the first time she spelt with him, which probably should have told her something at the time, but since she was never with him for what he had, she never connected the dots that, maybe, probably, the only reason he had ever got her anything was so she would sleep with him. After that, they only came on holidays and special occasions, and there was always some big production about how she could thank him for thinking so much of her. Everyone else got a good lough out of it, but it always made her feel like a cheap whore.

They might have had a very good relationship as far as the relationship went, but there were times where she felt Inuyasha would overstep himself just because of the money he had she didn't. Things like that always felt forced, like the only reason he got it for her was because he felt he had to, not because he wanted to, and certainly not because she asked for it. The handful of times she did happen to ask Inuyasha for something, not only did he not get it, but he made her feel like shit for asking.

Bankotsu wasn't like that.

He had taken her out to eat at places she had never dreamed of going, but never bought her anything she didn't ask for before, and never once did he make her feel like dirt for asking him for something; though there was the one time she tried to pay him back for toiletries. Even that though wasn't anything more than him telling the truth. She really did need that twenty bucks more than he did.

It had only been about a month since they met, and even he agreed at one point things had moved pretty fast between them, but Kagome wasn't sure exactly how much she agreed with that anymore. It had taken over two weeks before any kind of relationship was defined, and three more days before they were both on the same page with it. Sure, the physical aspect of their relationship started right away, but they were also adults, and sex didn't always mean more than just scratching an itch.

Prior to the night above Bankotsu's office, it had been months since the last time Kagome had gotten laid. They were both drunk, she was horny, he was willing, and nothing else happened between them for a couple of days after the fact. Yes, he called her Baby the morning after, but he stopped the same day a few hours later. He didn't start calling her that again until after they shared another night together, which they were both sober for, after she started staying in the Townhouse.

Also, she had seen in his eyes almost from the start his interest in her, but she was the one that kept him at arm's length. She didn't really know why that was, either. She was sure she had decent enough reasons at the time, but the fact was, looking back over everything that went on between them, she had to acknowledge the fact Bankosu had decent enough points of his own, that he made more than once.

If she didn't like him, she had no right to get jealous when she saw him talking to another woman, and she did. If she wasn't interested in an actual relationship with him, she had no right to act like they were together, then get pissed off when he responded like a boyfriend, and she did. If she didn't want more than what had been outlined at the club the night they met, then she had no right to get upset when that was exactly what he gave her, and she did.

Bankotsu had clearly seen it before she did, but they were together long before she was willing to acknowledge it, and now she knew she had two choices. She could either continue to compare this man to the boy she used to date, or she could actually enjoy this.

She had given up a lot of herself in her relationship with Inuyasha, and lost even more to fear after everything that followed the ending of that relationship, so she didn't even really know who she was anymore.

Lowering her eyes from Bankotsu's to the bracelet in his hands, Kagome bit her lip. She had no idea how much the two bracelets cost, but she wasn't stupid. The way the first one hugged her wrist, she knew he had them made for her. How he was able to do so without her actually going with him to have her wrists measured was something of a mystery to her, but clearly, he had his ways. She was also sure they were commissioned before she went insane with his credit card. Plus, they were really pretty.

Flicking her eyes back up to Bankotsu's, she made her choice. She was tired of living in fear. She was tired of letting Inuyasha continuing to dictate her actions. She really liked Bankotsu, and she would be damned is some piece of crap ex-boyfriend continued to ruin everything. If she was going to be in this relationship, she was going to be in it, and if Bankotsu wanted to spoil her, well... who was she to stop him?

Releasing her lip, she smiled as she held out her arm, palm up, so Bankotsu could latch the other bracelet in place. She felt she should say something, but nothing really came to mind that said more than her giving in and accepting the bracelets.

Bankotsu had stood patiently, waiting for her to make up her mind. He watched a brague of emotions fly through her eyes, and at one point actually thought she was once again going to allow her past to dictate their future. He knew from the start things with her were going to be an uphill climb, but truthfully, he was getting a little tired of always having to do a dance of one step forward and three steps back because something he did was too reminiscent of something the ex did. It was as annoying as it was exhausting, and frankly, he was getting sick of it. He liked the girl too damn much to treat her in a way less than she deserved just because she dated a douche that happened to have a father in his social class.

That was one difference he didn't think Kagome ever took into consideration. Bankotsu was spending his own money, whereas Inuyasha didn't have a penny of his own. After his mother died, Toga had a very difficult time telling Inuyasha no, which turned to the bastard into the douche he was these days. He was given whatever he wanted, and either never learned or forgot how to accept no as an acceptable answer, and instead was taught he could buy his way out of trouble or into getting his way.

Coincidentally, it was the death of Inuyasha's mother that led Toga down the path into the underbelly of society, but the revenge against the man that killed her was, unsurprisingly, not enough to pacify the man. In a way, Bankotsu could understand Toga on a personal level. He didn't feel any better after his shot his father in face, just like Toga didn't feel any better when he saw the dead body of the man that killed his second wife. Neither instance changed the situation that led to it. Both of the women they had tried to avenge were still dead, one by her own hand and the other by someone else's, but it was what followed that set them apart. Toga had thrown himself into trying to make his mother's death up to Inuyasha, whereas Bankotsu had built a life around doing whatever he had to, to prevent another woman from commiting suicide as a result of abuse.

The stories he had told Kagome the night they met about how he came up with the security systems were true, but she didn't know about anything more than the two break-in, and Bankotsu didn't talk about his mother, because he felt partially responsible for what happened to her. He couldn't shake the feeling that had he done something sooner she might still be alive, and that thought ate at him all the time. Every female that came to him told his mother's story, and he did for them what he couldn't do for her.

Well, every female but Kagome, that is.

The way it was described was her situation was one of manipulation, the man she once cared for using what wasn't his to try and force her to bend to a will she outgrew, then tried to use fear to get her back under his thumb. She had been adamant Taishi never laid a hand on her, but even now there was still a part of Bankotsu that questioned whether or not she had maybe been just a little too adamant about it. Bankotsu shuddered to think what would have happened to her if she wouldn't have had Maroku in her corner, or if the bartender wouldn't have brought her to him. Kagome even told him she had thought about going to back Inuyasha, just so shit would get better and she could have her life back.

It was her telling him that that changed the game. He had to give her something to hold onto, to show her there were more than just her ex out there that would find her desirable, but he never expected to develop feelings for the girl. He was usually very good at keeping his personal life separate from his profesional one, even having slept with a handful of the women he had taken into his protection in the past. There were lines he didn't cross, and not only did he cross every single one of them with Kagome, he did so without a second thought. Everything he did with her and for her just felt right, and he never felt that before. The only things that felt wrong were the things he didn't do, but not because he didn't think he should. It felt wrong _because_ he didn't do them. It felt to him like he was denying her when he talked himself out of this, that, or the other, and he didn't like that feeling.

So, he didn't talk himself out of dropping the ten grand on the five tier diamond studded cuff bracelets he got for her, nor did he talk himself out of actually giving them to her. It worked out really well they were ready to be picked up before charity benefit she agreed to go with him to, because otherwise, he very much doubted she would have accepted them, which was a whole other point of contention. There were supposed to be a perks that came with dating a millionaire, and she rebuffed every single fucking one of them, every chance she got. He wasn't sure if it was pride or what, but Jesus Christ he couldn't remember a time ice cold relief poured down his spine like it did when she presented him her wrist with a smile on her lips.

With a grin on his own, he wrapped the bracelet around her wrist, lined up the slide latches, and locked them into place. After it was secure, Bankotsu lifted his arms and stretched them out, wrapping his fingers around two rails of the staircase behind Kagome and trapped her in place. Licking his lips and clicking his tongue, he tilted his head slightly to the side. "I think it's time we had a little discussion, don't you?"

Kagome had watched Bankotsu clasp the second bracelet in place, and as he changed his position, she turned her arm over and just looked at the sparkling jewels for a moment longer. She heard his question, and did intend to answer, but as she looked up from her wrist, something caught her attention, and she focused on that instead. Lifting her own arms, she played with the knot of Bankotsu's tie. "Hold still. You're crooked."

Letting out an audible sigh, Bankotsu did as he was told, letting her fix the stupid accessory he only wore when he was told he had to. He despised neckties, finding them both confining and completely unnecessary.

Kagome used the two minutes she took fixing Bankotsu's tie to formulate her thoughts, making sure she made sense. As she slid her hand down his chest to smooth down his tie, Kagome let out a breath of her own before moving her eyes from the knot to Bankotsu's eyes. "I know I can be... difficult, sometimes, but just... be patient with me."

Grin returning, a scoffed chuckle slipped past Bankotsu's lips as a brow slightly rose and fell. "While I don't think truer words have ever been spoken, Little Dove, that wasn't the discussion I was talking about."

Scratching the back of her neck, Kagome looked up at Bankotsu through her lashes. "I think it's the exact discussion you were talking about. I just don't think it's what you wanted to hear." She saw him shake his head, but only let him get out 'Kago' before she cut him off, conviction in her voice. "I'm in this, Bankotsu, I am. You just have to be patient with me while I get my bearings in this very complicated relationship."

Lips pursing, Bankotsu hummed in the back of his throat. "Good to know, but this still isn't the discussion I was talking about. If we must, though, then fine. Kagome, it's really not all that complicated. I have feelings for you, you have feelings for me. That's really all that needs to be said about it."

Kagome, though, disagreed with a shake of her head. "It's not that simple."

Leaning in closer, Bankotsu lowered his voice as he locked their eyes. "It is that simple, actually. You're giving far too much importance to all the external bullshit, and that's what's making this so damn complicated. You keep asking me to be patient, but my patiences isn't the problem. That's the problem. Just let the external bullshit be the external bullshit, and let this be this. Believe it or not, they are two completely separate things, and you'll find yourself happier for doing so." When Kagome opened her mouth, Bankotsu let go of the railing behind her and clamped his hand over her mouth. "Stop. This isn't an argument point. This isn't a 'you're right, I'm wrong' scenario that you live to turn every scenario into. Just stop, for a moment, and listen."

Moving his hand from her mouth when she nodded slightly, he then settled both his hands on Kagome's hips. "You say you're in this? Then _be_ in this. Let me buy you the shiny shit. Let me take you on the expensive dates. Let me show you my world you only think you know. Forget about all the crap that doesn't matter, let everything go, have fun, and just... be _my_ Little Dove."

It was like she thought before; if he wanted to spoiler her, who was she to stop him? Even still, Kagome bit into her bottom lip slightly, lifting her hands and wrapping her fingers around the lapels of Bankotsu's blazer. Kicking one of her feet to twist on her toes, she released her lip and ran her tongue across. "But, I like it when you call me 'Baby'."

Sighing hard and looking up at the ceiling, there was a blank expression on Bankotsu's face when he looked back at Kagome. "I'll call you whatever the hell you want, but endearments and pet names are completely irrelevant to the point. Baby, Little Dove, nothing special at all, I really don't care. There is only one thing I care about when it comes to calling you anything, and that's just calling you mine." Cocking a brow at her, "see? Simple. This is what shit looks like when you cut through the bullshit and don't overcomplicate it."

Tapping her toes against the floor, Kagome's lips twisted from side to side before she nodded. "Okay, you win." When she looked back up at Bankotsu, seeing an expression that told her he clearly didn't believe her, she shrugged. "No, you were right. I was making things difficult on purpose, but it was because I find everything about you intimidating. From the way you carry yourself, to the way you talk to people. It's intimidating, and I'm not used to it."

A smirk and amusement replaced the look of disbelief as a chuckle slipped past Bankotsu's lips. "I'm a man that stands his ground, not a boy that backs down at the first sign of trouble. If people find me intimidating, then I'm doing my job, which doesn't end when I leave the office, and you know that. I'm confident, Kagome, and that confidence keeps people alive."

A giggle bubbled out of Kagome's throat as she tightened her grip on Bankotsu's jacket. "There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance, Bankotsu."

Bankotsu scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'll admit I'm arrogant as fuck, but I have every right to be. I am twenty-six years old, and I own the highest grossing security firm in the country, that I built by myself from the ground up as a teenager. At twenty-six, I am the fourth richest man in the country, beaten out by two dot comist and an app developer. On a more personal level of arrogance, not only do I have you on my arm, but I have topped the most eligible bachelor list every year for the last four. Yeah, Baby, on a personal level I'm arrogant as shit. But, on a professional level, the difference between arrogance and confidence is knowing what you can do, knowing what you can't do, and not confusing the two."

Unable to help the blush that resurfaced, or the flattered smile, Kagome lightly cleared her throat. "I make you arrogant?"

With another chuckle, Bankotsu dipped his head, touching the tip of is nose to Kagome's, and lowered his voice. "You make me a lot of things. Arrogant happens to be one of them."

She had no idea why something like that would make her feel so incredibly special, but damn if his words didn't make Kagome's stomach flutter and heart stutter. Tucking her chin down and cutting her eyes away from Bankotsu's piercing gaze, she tried like hell to get herself to calm down, but Jesus did that man know how to play her like a well tuned fiddle. She could feel the heat from his hands on the bare skin of her hips through the lace overlay of her dress, which did nothing to help aid her in her endeavour.

With her fingers still gripping the lapels of Bankotsu's suit jacket, she used that to push him back enough to allow her to breathe without smelling his mouth watering cologne and get her wits back about her. Clearing the lump in her throat, Kagome returned her eyes to Bankotsu's and let out a long breath through slightly puckered lips. "We're going to be late."

Bankotsu, however, didn't give a shit. "I'm good with that." But, when he leaned in to kiss her lips, and found them pressed to her cheek instead, he sighed and straightened his spine to stand. "Really?"

Kagome pressed her lips together to hide her smile as she returned her eyes to his. "I didn't spend two hours on my hair to go to this party just for you to fuck it up."

"I would have been careful." Seeing Kagome raise a brow at him, Bankotsu barely refrained from noticeably pouting, but the pout was in his voice. "Alright; fine." Taking a step back and letting go of his girl's hips because that wasn't doing either of them any favors, he crossed his arms instead. "Let me ask you something; how many high society charity benefits have you been to?"

While confusion to the question was the first thing Kagome felt, it was like lightning bolt when the realization struck. "That's the discussion you were talking about." At the sound of 'mmhmm' from Bankotsu's throat, Kagome's eyes darted back and forth, searching her memory, but ultimately shook her head. "None, but I have hosted fundraisers for the shrine a couple of times."

Nodding his understanding, Bankotsu clicked his tongue a couple of times in thought. The reason he asked was because he was positive the Taishi family would have made the guest list to any number of these events over the time she was with Inuyasha, but since Bankotsu didn't attend all the ones he was invited to, he had no way of knowing if she ever went. Now that he knew she hadn't, he had a little explaining to do.

So, licking his lips, he cocked his head in thought. "Hosting a public fundraiser is a lot different than attending a private one. It's not your job to make anyone happy. If someone asks you to do something that you have to go out of your way to do, decline doing so as politely as possible. There is a staff for that, and you're not on it."

Eyes crinkling in the corners, Kagome's lip curled. "Are you giving me an etiquette lesson?"

Bankotsu shook his head. "No, I'm giving you a crash course in how to deal with these asshole that will take advantage of anyone they think they can that you will be dealing with again. I don't attend every event I'm invited to, but I do attend a lot, and if you give into them tonight, next time, they will expect you to do more."

When he saw the nod of understanding, he continued. "This is the annual benefit ball for St. Luke's International Hospital. This is what allows them to provide pro-bono care for those that can't afford it otherwise. My brother works there as the Chief of Pediatric Surgery, and it's his department I make my donation to. I told you that because the amazing stories you're going to hear from everyone about the work they've done and the lives they've changed were specifically selected to pull at your heart in hopes it'll make for a very large, direct donation to their department."

Unable to help it, Kagome smirked as she crossed her own arms. "And you don't want my 'ooh's and 'ah's to completely deplete your bank account."

Snorting hard, Bankotsu smirked back. "Something like that, though you depleting my bank account would certainly be an amazing feat." Watching as a challenging brow popped up on Kagome's forehead, he chuckled in the back of his throat as he uncrossed his arms and once again leaned forward and caged her between his body and the staircase. "By all means, Little Dove; go right ahead and try. I dare you."

Giggling as she set her hands on Bankotsu's chest, she popped up on her toes, got nose to nose with the man, and looked him dead in the eyes. "Don't forget your checkbook."


	14. Chapter 14

Walking into the event, Kagome's eyes were wide and her lips slightly parted. It was like nothing she had ever seen before, but it was so simply set up, she wasn't sure if she was in awe or shock. She already knew it was a very formal, black tie affair, but it was like walking on the set of every major movie that had some kind of fundraiser in the plot crossed with a high school prom. There was a stage with a band, high tables to stand at without giving anyone somewhere to sit, a bar lining one wall, a buffet of finger foods lined another, and servers were walking around with trays of horderves and champagne. There was even an open dance floor for those that felt so inclined.

Honestly, in Kagome's opinion, the amount of money spent on the fundraiser would have covered several pro-bono cases, which is what she was told the fundraiser was intended to raise money for. She understood the business concept of having to spend money to make to money, and maybe it was because she was a 'have not' in a literal sea of 'haves', but to her, this just seemed wasteful.

She had just barely gotten her bearings before highly amused voice caused Bankotsu to stop, forcing her to as well because her arm was laced through his.

"And here I thought you were making up having a lady in your life so we would stop trying to set you up on blind dates."

Both Bankotsu and Kagome turned to voice's owner, Bankotsu with a smirk and Kagome with her lip between her teeth.

Extending the hand that wasn't attached to the arm Kagome was holding a death grip on, Bankotsu shook hands with his brother. "I was until a month ago, because the five of you have the worst taste in women on the planet. Probably why none of you have one of your own."

Throwing his head back with a laugh, Suikotsu let go of his baby brother's hand and crossed his arms. "Fair point, Little Brother." Then, he set his sights on Kagome, grinning wider when he saw her gulp. "So, who is this lovely mystery lady you've been going out of your way to hide from us?"

Jolting slightly, Bankotsu scoffed. "I have not. Jakotsu's met her."

Snorting slightly, Suikotsu looked back to his brother. "Jakotsu doesn't count. You two are less than a year apart, and were raised as twins."

Expression leveling out, Bankotsu clicked his tongue. "And you still wonder why I never tell you shit." Shaking his head, nonetheless, he did the introduction. "Suikotsu, this is Kagome. Kagome, this is Suikotsu, one of the several older brothers I told you about."

Unsure for a moment what she was supposed to do, Kagome pulled her arm free of Bankotsu's and held her hand out. "It's nice to meet you, Suikotsu."

Grinning at the young lady, Suikotsu took her presented hand and bent at the waste, bringing her knuckles to his lips. "The pleasure is mine."

Clearing away the blush from her voice that colored her nose at the action, Kagome licked her lips as she threaded her hand back through Bankotsu' arm. "So, are you the brother that works here, or the brother that used to lock Bankotsu in a closet?"

Cocking a brow at his brother, who just smiled back at him, Suikotsu shook his head slightly as he looked back to the woman on his brother's arm. "Both. Bankotsu here was no less of a pain in the ass when we were kids as he is now. There are six years between him and I, and I'm the closest to his age besides Jakotsu. By the time Bankotsu started school, most of us were teenagers, or almost teenagers, and no one wants their baby brother tagging along."

Having a baby brother herself, Kagome actually found herself agreeing with that statement. "There's about the same between me and my little brother, so I can almost see where you're coming from, but I never locked my kid brother in a closet just so he left me alone."

Grinning wide, Suikotsu crossed his arms. "The difference between brothers and sisters has been revealed. Don't think for a second that if you were the younger sibling, your brother wouldn't have done whatever he could to get a head start before you sniffed him out."

A very pleasant smile formed on Kagome's lips as she cocked her head slightly. "But, isn't it the prerogative of the older siblings to protect the younger ones?"

"Not in this fucking family."

All three sets of eyes turned to Jakotsu, who appeared from nowhere, with varying looks of irritation, amusement, and confusion. Jakotsu, however, only had eyes for Kagome. "You seem to be in much better spirits than the last time I saw you."

Using her free hand to scratch the back of her head, Kagome shrugged. "I suppose."

Twirling the wine in the glass in his hand, Jakotsu clicked his tongue. "There is no fear in your eyes or tears on your cheeks, so I would certainly consider that much better spirits, Sweetness."

Smiling slightly, Kagome glanced up at Bankotsu for a moment before returning her sights to Jakotsu. "A lot has changed since then."

Also shifting his eyes to his brother, Jakotsu smiled back at Kagome. "Glad to hear it." Then, he turned his sights back to Bankotsu and cocked a brow. "Now, where is that gorgeous man that's always following you around?"

With a snort, Bankotsu tsked. "I believe he's on a date."

Groaning loudly, Jakotsu shook his head. "Does it make me petty to hope it doesn't go well?"

Crossing his arms and setting his hand over Kagome's hand that was through his elbow, Bankotsu cocked a brow. "Does it make you petty to hope Ryu is alone so you can stare at him without guilt because you don't have the balls to ask him out? Kind of, yeah."

Rolling his eyes, Jakotsu shook his head. "Not that one. While Ryu is a mouthwatering piece of man, I was talking about the other one."

Genuinely shocked, Bankotsu jolted and blinked. "Hiten?" At Jakotsu's snapped fingers and 'that's the one', Bankotsu snorted. "Good luck with that. Ryu bats for both teams, so you would have a chance there, but Hiten? You do know he has a _wife,_ right?"

Jolting like she was kicked in the ass, Kagome's head snapped up to look at Bankotsu. "Hiten's _married_?" At Bankotsu's nod, she shook her head ever so slightly. "And... his wife is okay with him hanging out with me all damn day, every day?"

Bankotsu just shrugged. "I don't see why she wouldn't be. Vicky works for some big executive and is out of the country more than she's in it, and Hiten found out about... oh... seven months ago or so she's been fucking the son of a bitch behind his back for at least the last year. He filed for divorce, but she won't sign the papers. Since she doesn't respect her vows, he stopped honoring his."

A look of disgust settled on Kagome's face as she grunted. "I have never wanted to punch someone I've never met before so much in my life. What a bitch."

Bankotsu snorted as he grinned down at his girl. "We've called her much worse."

Jakotsu, however, hummed as he spoke around the rim of his wine glass. "So, him being married isn't a deal breaker."

Bankotsu, rolling his eyes, looked at his brother. "The fact he's straight is."

Grunting into his glass, Jakotsu finished his wine, making a disappointed face as he licked his lips. "Story of my life." Then, he looked at his empty glass, humming in the back of his throat. "Well, I seem to be out of wine." A devilish spark ignited in the back of his as he set them on Kagome. "And you look like you could a drink yourself."

Bankotsu, turning his head and watching at Jakotsu slinked up next to Kagome with his elbow presented. Eyes narrowed, he flexed his arm so there was something of a hold on Kagome's hand that rested there, and his lip curled. "What are you up to?"

Jakotsu, waving a hand in the air, then plucked Kagome's hand from his brother's arm and wrapped it around his own, looking Bankotsu in the eyes. "You just do... well, whatever it is you do, and don't worry about us. And never fear, Brother; I'll return her exactly the same as I stole her."

Seeing a somewhat fearfully standoffish look in Kagome's eyes as Jakotsu literally pulled her away from his side and toward a table on the other side of the room, Bankotsu shook his head and looked at Suikotsu. "Any more questions on why I kept her away from all of you?"

Grinning at the complete change of Bankotsu's mood and irritation that sparked in his blue eyes, Suikotsu chuckled. "Any more questions on why that was a stupid idea?" Them he held his hand out in the direction of the bar. "Come on, let's get you a drink."

Standing at the table she was led to, Kagome played with her fingers, a nervous tick she's had all her life, as she looked at Jakotsu through her lashes. She wasn't sure exactly why she was acting like she was, the man having seen her at what was probably the lowest moment of her life thus far, but for whatever reason, there was a rock in her stomach that made drinking the glass of wine he put in front of her a questionable idea.

Jakotsu, however, just waited her out. He figured she would settle down eventually, and he was right. It took her the better part of five minutes, but finally, she quit trying to rub the skin off her bones and picked up the glass in front of her. When she did, he laced his fingers together and set his chin on the backs of his knuckles. "Well, I wouldn't be doing the job of an older brother if I didn't ask what your intentions are with Bankotsu."

Choking on the wine she had been in the process of swallowing, Kagome spit what she hacked up back into the glass, wiping her chin with her palm as she set the glass down. "I beg your pardon?"

Jakotsu merely lifted a shoulder. "It's a simple question. I'm sure I know his intentions with you, but I'm curious what you want when it comes to him. I mean, he's attractive, he's a gentleman, he's rich. Surly you didn't think that wouldn't look... a little suspicious when you show up wearing ten thousand dollars worth of diamonds."

Eyes widening slightly as they dropped to the bracelets Bankotsu had given her just before they left for the benefit, Kagome shook her head as she looked back at Jakotsu. "I didn't ask for these."

Jakotsu's head tilted to the side, his face remaining stotic. "I didn't say you did. I asked if you didn't think it would look a little strange to his brothers when we didn't even know he had a girlfriend. Especially when last I knew of you, you were merely being taken into his protection."

Brows drawing and lips parting, Kagome dropped her eyes, looking back and forth across the table top, searching her mind for anything that would resemble an acceptable answer. When put like that, she looked like a whore after Bankotsu's money, but that wasn't the case. She fought Bankotsu every step of the way until a few days ago, but so much happened in the weeks leading up to her giving in, she didn't think she could cover it all. Making a helpless noise, she flicked her eyes back to Jakotsu with a barely seen shake of her head. "It's... I..." Closing her eyes, she shrugged. "It's complicated."

Jakotsu snorted, causing Kagome to open her eyes again, and he smirked. "Surely it can't be that complicated. Bankotsu has laser vision when he sees something he wants, and will stop at nearly nothing to obtain it. I'm not accusing you of anything, I suppose I'm mostly curious what someone who would buy a knock-off gown and costume jewelry wants with someone who can give them the world." Seeing the confusion on Kagome's face, Jakotsu's smirked widened. "Honey, I'm gay. I can spot a fake designer and rhinestones a mile away, a fact I am very proud of. However, those happen to also be two things my dear little brother wouldn't be caught dead buying. So, we're back to my original question; what are your intentions here?"

Once again playing with her fingers, Kagome shrugged as she sighed. "Well, you answered your own question, didn't you?"

Jakotsu cocked a brow. "How so?"

Once again, Kagome lifted a shoulder. "I'm the one that picked out the dress, and he called my necklace, that I also chose, 'pretty, shiny, fake, crap' before he surprised me with the bracelets and told me they were 'very real'."

Picking up his glass, Jakotsu chuckled. "That certainly sounds like him."

Looking into her own wine glass, Kagome sighed. "I like him," looking back at Jakotsu, "but I don't know if there can really be any discernible 'intentions' when I've only been his girlfriend for like... a week."

Snorting into his glass, Jakotsu swallowed his mouthful of wine and looked at Kagome with a spark of amusement in his eyes. "Then you still have a lot to learn about Bankotsu, Sweetness."

Kagome nodded in agreement. "And that's my point. I don't know him well enough to have intentions. I don't know where this relationship is going. I don't know what he wants out..."

Jakotsu cut her off by pointing a finger in her face. "Don't lie to me. I'll be gracious and give you your first two points, but there is no possible way Bankotsu hasn't made what he wants perfectly clear to you, and my guess, several times over. Then again, he did hide your relationship from all six of his brothers, so maybe I'm reading it wrong."

More than slightly offended by the clear accusation, Kagome lost momentary control of her tongue and snapped back. "You know what... you can think what you want, but I don't have to explain myself, or our relationship that has nothing to do with you, to you. Maybe he didn't tell you because it's none of your goddamn business. Our private conversations about private matters are just that... private. So, you can take your graciousness and go fuck yourself. Or better yet, take your hurt feelings up with him. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to soothe your fragile ass ego, because I'm fucking done with this."

Before Kagome was able to make any kind of triumphant exit, Jakotsu laughed out loud with a smile on his lips. "Now I see it."

Still pissed off, Kagome glared. "See what?"

Smile still in place, Jakotsu clicked his tongue. "What he sees. You aren't anything like you appear, are you? Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing has yet to be revealed, but there is certainly more to you than meets the eye."

Setting both her hands on the table top, Kagome leaned forward, lowered her voices, and narrowed her eyes. "What he sees in me, is again, none. of. your. business. You don't get to insult me, then turn around and act like you didn't under the ruse of looking out for Bankotsu, who by the way, is more than capable of looking out for himself. You, can still, go fuck yourself."

Jakotsu, crossing his arms and leaning on them on the table, locked his eyes with Kagome, and lowered his own voice. "You don't want to start a fight with me, Young Lady. You won't win."

A perfectly pleasant smile formed on Kagome's lips as she straightened her spine. "Like I said; take your issues up with Bankotsu. Maybe, you'll even be able to intimidate answers out of him, because it's sure as hell not going to work with me; not after everything I've overcoming when dealing with assholes that live to intimidate females into bending to their will. As for the threat? Since I know you know nothing, for all you do know, I already have won. Statement stands." Tapping her fingertips once hard on the table, "go fuck yourself."

The smile never left Jakotsu's face as he watched Kagome walk away, or when she stopped and was pointed to where the restrooms where. He just followed her with his eyes until she was around the corner, and picked up his glass, strolling across the room until he was close enough to Bankotsu to be heard. "I'll tell you this..." once Bankotsu was looking at him, Jakotsu smirked. "She's certainly a spitfire."

Holding the bulb of his wine glass in the palm of his hand, Bankotsu crossed his other arm over his chest. "One of her better qualities. What did you do?"

Jakotsu just shrugged. "I pushed her buttons, and she told me to go fuck myself."

Snorting, Bankotsu smirked. "Good for her."

Frowning, Jakotsu let out a breath from his nose. "I'm hurt."

Lifting a brow, Bankotsu didn't react to the fake emotions in his brother's eyes. "You will be if you fuck this up for me."

Jakotsu rolled his eyes and waved a hand in the air. "Relax, Banko. Any girl worth your trouble to hide from us is worth getting to know. Besides, she did make one good point... who you choose to date, or why you do, isn't any of our business. It's not like if we disapproved you would end it. If we did, you would likely marry the girl on the way home."

Chuckling, Bankotsu lifted his glass. "Cheers to that."

Licking his lips as his brother drank to his impromptu toast, Jakotsu cocked his head. "So that's it then? That's the intention here?"

Making a show of swallowing his drink, Bankotsu clicked his tongue as he looked at his brother. "She's been my girl for a week, Jak. Let's slow down on hearing those wedding bells, shall we, and you let us figure that out for ourselves, hmm? Like you said she said, what she and I do, or don't do, really isn't any of your fucking business. Intentions, whatever they are, will come at some point I'm sure, but right, we're enjoying each other. So just... back off and leave her alone because I swear to the Kami themselves, you fuck this up Jakotsu, and no one will ever find your body."

Huffing, Jakotsu quipped under his breath. "Well, you're certainly testy for someone without intention of longevity."

Bankotsu just rolled his eyes, not dignifying the statement with a response.

*X*

Fingers wrapped around the edges of the sink, Kagome looked her reflection in the eyes, trying to talk herself into leaving the bathroom and rejoining the party. She knew she was going to eventually have to meet Bankotsu's brothers, but she didn't think any of them would automatically jump to the conclusion Jakotsu did. She could understand it, she could, but that didn't mean shit. He didn't know her, so at the very least, she felt she deserved the benefit of the doubt.

Her thoughts briefly jumped to, if Bankotsu hadn't told his brothers about her and their relationship, what else hadn't he told them about him? She wouldn't claim to know everything. As a matter of fact, she almost went out of her way to know as little as possible, she did know several things she was curious if Bankotsu's brothers knew their baby brother was into. It was something she was going to have to ask about, because secrets weren't really something she was all that good at keeping. She was really good at dodging topics, but if something came up, she would have to know what to avoid, to avoid it.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she figured fifteen minutes was about all she could realistically hide for before someone came looking for her. So, after checking her makeup, and fixing her lashes, Kagome let out a sigh, left the bathroom, and immediately regretted doing so.

Her cry of shocked pain was muffled by a hand that partially covered her mouth and drowned out the rest of the way by the sound of her back slamming into the wall. There was a pop in her jaw that momentarily left her seeing stars, but then they cleared, she wished they hadn't.

"Inuyasha..."

*X*

"You're the security guy, right?"

Bankotsu, turning his sights to the old woman looking up at him, curled his lip. "I'm sorry?"

Kaede, with a little more urgency in her voice, questioned him again. "You're Bankotsu Akasaki, aren't you?"

No less confused, Bankotsu nodded. "I am."

Wringing her hands, Kaede swallowed hard. "Then you are the security guy, yes?"

Eyes crinkling, Bankotsu crossed his arms. "Do I need to be?"

Kaede was quick to nod in response. "I believe so. A man has a woman cornered down the hall, and it doesn't look like she wants to be."

Letting out a hard breath through his nose, Bankotsu glanced to where he was directed before nodding to the woman. "I'll handle it." He then turned his attention to the room itself, looking for his employees, and curled his tongue behind his teeth when he spotted them, blowing a whistle to catch their attention. With nothing more than a tilt of his head, his men were on the move, and fell into step behind him before he reached the mouth of the hallway.

When he rounded the corner, it was as if outside forces took over of his body. He had no control over himself as his hand went under Oscar's jacket, or when his fingers wrapped around the handle of the glock that was underneath, cocking the chamber as he closed the last of the distance. He recalled perfectly telling Kagome not even a week ago to never put a gun without intention of pulling the trigger, but as he pressed the muzzle of gun against Inuyasha's temple, he found himself begging the Kami to give him a reason.

His voice was dead calm when he spoke, his eyes were locked on the widening of Inuyasha's eyes. "You have three seconds to let her go before the stories for next year include one about saving you."

Kagome, once the force that walk holding her against the wall by her jaw was gone, was barely able to catch her weight and stay on her feet, her hand replacing Inuyasha's. She watched through tear filled eyes as Inuyasha put his hands up, slowly backing away from her, allowing Bankotsu to change his position and put himself between her and her ex. Her body was shaking and her breathing came out in short, trembling breaths. However, for as terrified as she was, she was able to keep herself from whimpering Bankotsu's name, though only barely.

Staring down the business end of a .22 was not in anyway what Inuyasha had in mind when he decided playtime was over it was time for Kagome to return where she belonged. Shifting his eyes to her, he sniffed when she wouldn't even look at him. It wasn't like he hurt her or something.

Bankotsu, face completely void of emotion, kept his arm raised, the glock in his hand still pointed right between Inuyasha's eyes. "I think it's time for you to go."

Crossing his arms, Inuyasha scoffed. "Keh, I have an invitation."

Bankotsu didn't miss a beat. "That I'm revoking. Oscar, Jeninji."

Yanking his arm out of whichever of the two grabbed him's hand, Inuyasha all but barked. "You can't keep her from me."

A brow slowly slid up to Bankotsu's bangs. "Would you like to bet on that?"

Being forced to back out of the hall, Inuyasha threw out one last threat. "You won't always be there, and when you're not, I will be."

Bankotsu didn't lower his arm until Inuyasha was out of his sight, though he still heard the asshole's voice carry back about letting him go and not to touch him, he was leaving. Clearing the chamber of his borrowed firearm, he flipped the safety and slipped it into the back of his belt and turned his attention to Kagome, who had reached her breaking point was crying as she slid down the wall to kneel on the floor.

Crouching down in front of her, he crooked a finger under her chin and gently tilted her head back, already able to see the bruise from how hard she had been held by her face. Keeping his voice low, he tried to catch her eyes, but she refused to make eye contact with him. "Are you alright?"

Not lifting her eyes, Kagome sniffled hard and let out a breath. "My jaw hurts, and I want to go home."

Well, that was just too damn bad. With his free hand, he reached into his jacket and pulled his phone out of the inner pocket. Sending out a burn message with the townhouse's address, Bankotsu clicked his tongue. "You're not going home." That caught her attention, and when Kagome finally looked up at him, he stood. "You're coming to mine."


	15. Chapter 15

It wasn't very often Bankotsu used a driver, much preferring to drive himself, but for as upset as Kagome had been after her encounter with Inuyasha, he didn't even think about it when he tossed his keys to Jeninji and slid into the backseat after he got Kagome settled.

As it stood, it had taken nearly the entire forty minute drive from the event venue to the gates of Bankotsu's driveway for Kagome to stop crying, though the rigidness of her body told Bankotsu quite clearly she hadn't calmed down. She was turned sideways with her feet on the seat, tucked under his arm with her back pressed into his side, and her both of her arms wrapped around his with her head in the dip of his collarbone. He could feel her tremble every few seconds, and he would tighten his arm around her or lay his head against hers, and she would stop for a time, but she always started shaking again.

Even though his was physically relaxed, Bankotsu was anything but. After he switched his phone to silent so the noise wouldn't bother Kagome, he spent the entire drive giving his thumb a fucking work out. Not only did he have to give orders to the swarm of his men that needed to now what they were supposed to do, but also field his nosy ass brother that merely wanted details as to what happened that made him and Kagome leave in such a hurry. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Jakotsu, so gave him just enough information to prevent an appearance before morning.

However, the one thing Bankotsu could always count on, was Hiten. He didn't ask questions, he just got shit done, so he wasn't all that surprised when Jeninji pulled to a stop at the front steps of his house, Hiten was the one that opened the back door.

Kagome, mostly stuck in her own head, past memories flying through her mind, didn't react at first when Bankotsu told her they had arrived. It actually took a decent amount of prompting for her to let go of his arm so he could get out of the car, and an additional several moments before she changed her position so she could as well.

Being the first time she had ever been to Bankotsu's, she wasn't sure what she expected when she took Bankotsu's presented hand to help her out of the car, but for whatever reason, the towering, white stone building wasn't it. Eyes wide as she tilted her head back to try and get a full picture, there was awe in her voice. "Woah..." Turning her attention to an amused Bankotsu, she licked her lips. "No wonder you were always bitching about how small the townhouse was." Looking back to the mansion, she blinked. "This place could fit like... five of them... with room left over."

With a grin and a shrug, Bankotsu chuckled. "While we've gone over the fact I'll spoil you with whatever you want, I only spoil myself with three things; my clothes, my cars, and my house."

Brows drawing down slightly, Kagome lightly rubbed the back of her jaw where there was painful throbbing. "You have more than one car?"

Nodding, Bankotsu nodded his head in the direction of the expansive garage. "I have seven cars, three bikes, and handful of other toys."

Turning to look where Bankotsu indicated, Kagome gasped at the very familiar car sitting outside of the doors. "That's..." Flicking shocked eyes back to Bankotsu, Kagome blinked at him. "You gave me one of your cars to drive?"

Bankotsu just shrugged. "I wasn't using it." Then he tilted his head toward the front doors. "Go on inside. I'll be right behind you. The kitchen is straight back on the other side of the stairs and to the left if you want to get some ice for your jaw."

Bankotsu watched as Kagome hesitated for a moment before she nodded, lifted the hem of her dress, and climbed the stairs to head into the house. Bankotsu just nodded to her when she glanced back, but didn't say a word until she was out of sight, turning to Hiten when he did so. "Where are my kids?"

Snorting at how Bankotsu always referred to his dogs, Hiten crossed his arms. "In their room. The front door was left open so Ryu and I could bring Kagome's things inside, and you know how Sheva is. We had other shit to do that didn't include wrangling her ass."

Grunting with a shake of his head, Bankotsu's nose wrinkling. "I don't know what I'm going to do with that girl." Running a hand down his face, he clicked his tongue. "Need I ask where you put Kagome's shit?"

Tapping his finger against his bicep, Hiten lifted a shoulder. "Ryu is in the kitchen putting the stuff from hers away, and I've been putting her clothes and shit in the east wing master suite since I didn't know how permanent of an arrangement this was. It can always be moved later once that's figured out." The expectant look that followed his boss' nod of understand had Hiten clearing his throat. "The burn team showed up at the townhouse five minutes after I did, and got it cleared in twenty. By the time Ryu got there, all of her possessions were boxed up to be moved and the team had already started the process of erasing any sign of her presence and defaulting the security system." Looking at his watch, he hummed. "I would say by midnight, it will be like she was never there at all, and the few things of hers still there will be delivered." Recrossing his arms, he then tilted his head, narrowing his eyes in thought. "I went in and deleted the Dove alias from the system, and sent out a code stand-by. At this point, I just need to know what you want to do."

Rubbing his fingers across his lips in thought, Bankotsu debated with himself on that exact question. What happened at the benefit was opportunistic, and he would be damned if he was going to leave open a back door for it to happen in his own damn house. Returning his eyes to Hiten, Bankotsu tsked. "Release the hounds."

Once again Hiten snorted hard as he watched Bankotsu bound up the steps and head into the house. It was neverending amusement to Hiten how Bankotsu referred to his dogs as people and his people as dogs. Even still, he pulled his phone from his hip and send out the message he had at the ready with a 'Yes, Sir' to Bankotsu's retreating form. It wouldn't take but thirty minutes to lockdown the estate where no one would be able to so much as pass the front gates without someone inside the house knowing well in advance.

Once inside, Bankotsu shrugged out of his suit jacket and finally removed the damn necktie, handing both off to Jeninji, who was waiting to take them, though he kept the firearm he took from Oscar, merely moved it from his side and placed it at his back once again as he made his way through the entry and into the main house.

The layout of the first floor was something of a broken circle that went around, and under, the double sided staircase. You could walk all the way round it unhindered, but it wasn't a fully open floor plan. There were walls, but the only room that was closed off by a door was the room dedicated to his dogs that was in the back right corner that he assumed was intended to be a home office or something similar. The second floor was divided into two identical wings. They both had five doors, four to each side of the hall and then a set of double doors at the end, which was that wing's master suite. Three of the doors led to a guest room, and the fourth was a bathroom. When he originally bought the place, there was only one way to get to the second floor, which was from the front of the house, and there was a library at the top of the steps, but he took it out and instead opened the floor to the one below it. The hall between the wings was now open on both sides, allowing whoever was on the catwalk like hall to see both the front door as well as the sliding glass doors that led to the back yard.

Passing under the balcony, Bankotsu first glanced to the right, but decided to see to Kagome before he let his dogs out. So, heading to the left, he saw his girl sitting at the island counter, a bag of frozen peas against her cheek as she watched Ryu unpack the different boxes that came from the townhouse. Ryu saw him first, and with nothing more than a tilt of his head, he was left alone with Kagome, who turned to face him as she removed the bag of peas from her face.

Kagome, clearly able to see the questions for her swirling in Bankotsu's eyes, sighed as she turned back around in her stool, closing her eyes and dropping her forehead into her palm. She lied to him, and she knew he now knew it. No, Inuyasha hadn't out right harmed her, but he had caused bruises before. The too tight grabbing of her arm that could be explained away by an overly emotional moment when they were arguing and she tried to walk away. It only happened the one time, and she told him if he ever did something like that again she would tell his father, because one thing she could say about Toga was, he didn't play that game after his wife was beaten to death by her lover, and she doubted he would have allowed his son to follow in the footsteps of the man that killed his mother.

She heard the stool next to her move, and even with her eyes still closed she could feel Bankotsu standing next to her, feel his eyes on the side of her face that hurt something awful. She had no idea what the hell he had done to her jaw, but Jesus.

Bankotsu, however, just laced his fingers together and leaned his weight on his forearms, looking at Kagome's profile. While he was still exceptionally pissed off, he kept his own emotions out of his voice when he spoke. "Do you wanna tell me what happened?"

Opening her eyes, Kagome didn't move as she licked her lips. "No, there's nothing to say."

Glancing up and asking for strength, Bankotsu licked his own lips. "This wasn't the first time he did something like that, was it?"

Sniffling, Kagome picked her head up, grabbed the bag of peas, and put it back on her face, but still refused to look at Bankotsu. "Like I said... there's nothing to say. It was nothing to get upset over." When she heard his intake of air to say something else, she finally turned her head to look at him, fire in her eyes. "Who is me telling you going to help?"

Bankotsu just shrugged. "Certainly not him, but it might help you."

Once again dropping her arm, peas in hand, Kagome shook her head and looked at the counter. "It was once. It was towards the end of the relationship. We were arguing, I tried to walk away, and he didn't want me to. I overreacted."

Jerking back from the last of her statement, there was genuine disgust in Bankotsu's voice when he all but barked his response. "Says who?"

Looking at the bag of peas, Kagome licked her lips as she placed the bag back on her face. "Everyone." Cutting her eyes to Bankotsu, she swallowed hard. "My mother told me I needed to apologize for my misunderstanding. Sango told me it showed how afraid he was of losing me. Said it was cute. Um... oh, my three best friends, that were the ones that talked me into giving him a chance to begin with, asked me what I did to deserve it. That was a fun conversation. Let's see, who else. Oh, there was the servant at the manor that saw it happen and spent a few good minutes telling me what I did wrong and how I overreacted. Then, there was this guy I thought was my friend that tried to use it to get me in bed with him, telling me I would never have to deal with something like that with him. My..."

Very gently, Bankotsu pressed his fingertips to Kagome's lips, stopping her from continuing. "You can stop. I get it."

Leaning away from his fingers, Kagome cocked a brow at him. "Do you?"

Face pinching, Bankotsu sighed hard as he nodded. "More than you'll ever know. When I was in school, I used to come home at the end of the day and, after picking my mother up off the floor, helped clean up the mess."

Eyes crinkling in the corners, Kagome's lip curled. "You made it sound like your parents had a good marriage."

Bankotsu nodded in agreement. "They did... until they didn't. Sound familiar?" Seeing the fast, shallow nods, Bankotsu once again wet his lips and cleared his throat. "When I was sixteen, Jakotsu and I were the only two still living at home, our brothers having graduated and move out and on with life. It was a Tuesday, and Jakotsu had to stay late at school for musical practice, so I was alone when I came home from school. Something just felt... off, when I walked in the house. It was quiet and smelled like burnt bread. I went to the kitchen and sure enough, sitting on the counter was a tray of burnt biscuits. I picked one up and they were cold. I called for my mother, and didn't get an answer, which was weird because her car was there, so surely she had to be. So, I went looking for her. I found her in her bed, almost as cold as those fucking biscuits. I called for help, but by the time she was found, there was nothing that could be done; she was dead for hours before I got home. She died alone, by her own hand, because she was more afraid of what was going to happen to her because of those biscuits than she was of swallowing that bottle of pills.

"Two weeks later, my brothers were gone again, and it's back to just me, Jakotsu, and our father. One morning, I went into tell him Jakotsu and I were leaving, and... he was sleeping, so peacefully, in the bed my mother died in, and I just... was stuck with the reality that, though my mother's death was a suicide, she died because of him; because she was afraid of him, and he was at peace with that. He was okay with that. Because of the break-ins I told you about, my father got a gun, and I knew where it was."

Eyes wide, Kagome didn't need him to continue the story. "You killed your dad."

Without hesitation, Bankotsu nodded. "You're goddamn right I did. I got his gun. I shook him awake. I waited until his groggy ass sat up. I put the barrel in his mouth, and I looked him dead in the eye as I pulled the fucking trigger. Then, I wiped it down, put it in his hand, and went to school. I didn't feel bad about it then, and I don't feel bad about it now. That son of a bitch killed my mother, same as if he would done to her what I did to him, and I pray to the Gods he's burning in Hell. Domestic violence, Little Dove, doesn't start as bad as it ends. It starts by not letting someone walk away from an argument. It starts with grabbing someone too tight, and it escalates. Sometimes so slowly you don't even realize it until it's too late. Others, like with my mother, it's fast, in the blink of eye.

"From the first time my father put his hands on my mother to the day she died... two months. He lost his job, didn't tell her, and she sent some money to Renkotsu because he was a short on his rent because he had just started a new job, and his check was short. She didn't know they didn't have it to spare, and when my father went to get money out of their savings, there wasn't as much as there should have been, and he went ballistic. My mother tried to walk away, and he wouldn't let her. Two months later, he had her so terrified of him, she killed herself over burnt biscuits."

As Kagome was sitting there trying to digest what she was just told, Bankotsu twisted and leaned his side against the counter, wrapping his laced fingers over the side, and looked at her head on, his voice taking on what was probably the most serious tone she had heard him use to date. "Baby, listen; that first overstep is not a misunderstanding. It's not fear. It's not cute. It's certainly never something someone deserves, nor is your response to it a fucking overreaction. The first time someone puts their hands on someone in anger is the most dangerous time of them all, because that's the time the one that does it learns if they can do it again."

Remaining silent for a good three minutes, Kagome bit into her bottom lip once she decided how she felt about what she was just told. Rolling her eyes up to look at the ceiling, she cleared her throat and looked back at Bankotsu. "So, is that something else to add to the list of reasons I can't leave?"

Chuckling quietly in the back of his throat, Bankotsu grinned slightly. "You can leave whenever you want, but see here's the thing. The day we met, I made you a promise."

Smiling slightly, Kagome propped her head against a fist. "I remember that. Something about Kami helping whoever it was that was fucking with me."

Grin widening, Bankotsu gave a nod. "Exactly, but more to the point, I promised to protect you; and... while the reason I'm going to keep it has changed, the premise hasn't. I _am_ going to do whatever I have to, to keep you safe. But, I can't do that, if you're not here."

Shaking her head, Kagome couldn't help the giggle that bubbled out of her throat. "Kami, it feels like we had that conversation so long ago." Flicking her eyes back to Bankotsu's, she scratched her forehead. "How has it only been a month since this whole thing started?"

Bankotsu just lifted a shoulder. "Time is a fickle thing, Babe. When things are good, it seems to fly. When it's bad, it feels like it drags on forever. The reality, though, is it passes the same, every day, regardless."

Nodding in agreement, Kagome scoffed quietly. "It just seems like... a ridiculous amount of shit has happened since that night at Shikon."

Bankotsu snorted hard. "A ridiculous amount of shit _has_ happened since that night at the club. It's just that it's been a constant stream of it, opposed to random acts with time between them."

Dropping her arm that had been used to prop up her head, her hand landing on Bankotsu, Kagome sighed. "I just... I can't believe what happened tonight. I thought you said Sesshoumaru told you Inuyasha backed off, that he wasn't going to be a problem anymore."

Unlocking his fingers, he set his hand over hers as he shook his head. "That's not what I said. I said Sesshoumaru told me Inuyasha had nothing to do with that shooting last week. _I_ told you weeks ago someone like him... doesn't stop until he's forced to stop, and tonight, he made it pretty damn clear he's not going to go away."

Feeling her throat tighten, Kagome tried to swallow the lump that formed, but it felt like it was choking her.

Bankotsu, pulling his hands free, stepped around the island, opened a drawer, and pulled out a paper lunch bag. With a flick of his wrist, he opened it as he once again took up a stance in front of Kagome. Setting a hand on her back, he gently forced her to bend down, and once her head was down, he put the opening of the bag over her nose and mouth, holding it in place as she tried to catch her breath, but very careful not to press too hard against the swollen bruises on the back of her jaw. Dipping his own head, he whispered in her ear. "On my life, he'll never get near you again; not without going through me, first."

 _On my life..._

The start of Bankotsu's statement bounced around in Kagome's mind, her exhausted and frayed nerves latching on to it and holding tight. Whether he meant it the way it sounded or not, in that moment, didn't matter. Whether he meant it all or not didn't matter.

But she was sure he did.

She had seen it in his eyes at the benefit, the way he looked at Inuyasha when he put that gun to his head. She had never seen such a level of deceptive clam before. His entire body screamed relaxed, but his eyes, she hadn't ever seem them so dark, and every bad thing she had found out he had done so far danced and played out in the crashing oceanic waves. Bankotsu had looked at Inuyasha like he was nothing but dirt on the bottom of his dress shoes or a bug on his car.

Then, there was how he looked at her. The way he spoke to her when they first met, the emotions in his eyes when he looked at her, had certainly changed. He was still the same guy, reminding her every so often he wasn't what he appeared to be. He was a bad guy, a fact he seemed to hang his hat on, but with her? He was everything else. He followed her with his eyes whenever she walked by, always had a hand on her in someway when she was close enough.

 _On my life..._

Other than when things between them were still up in the air, which was more her than him, he hadn't just treated her like a lady, but like an actual Lady. Even when she knew she pissed him off, he never once yelled at her. He had clearly asked for strength numerous times to get through those arguments, closing his eyes and balling his fists on whatever surface that was between them, his head dropping and his back visibly tightening as he fell silent for a few seconds, but he never raised his voice. She wondered briefly if he realized how much more terrifying he was when he lowered his voice like he does when he's mad at her for whatever reason, but she never really thought much of it before now.

 _On my life..._

He was staking his life on her safety, and the fact she now knew what he had done to someone that hurt someone he cared about, that did more than anything else to calm her back down. In his possession, his body all but wrapped around hers, she _felt_ safe. She felt the weight of his soothing words replace the fear created at the reminder of Inuyasha's threat, and thought they were no less heavy with implication, Bankotsu's sworn statement made her feel lighter.

Bankotsu, having hooked his foot through the rest of the stool behind him and pulled it closer to him, took a seat and, as Kagome's breathing began to slow, continued to rub his thumb across the back of her neck. This day, in his opinion, just needed to fucking end already. He really hoped this would turn into a 'things will be better in the morning' scenario, but he had his doubts. The one thing Kagome had been most afraid of happening for over a half of a year was having to face Inuyasha again, and not only was she alone when she did it, she was with him with him when it happened. There were certainly going to have to be some changes made, but he wouldn't be able to set those in motion until Kagome was sleeping. Whether or not she accepted the fact he was a cold blooded murderer was beside the point. There were still several aspects of his life he didn't think she was ready to know about, and he was going to continue to do as he had done for the last month and make damn sure she didn't see him actually kill someone until she was too far down the rabbit hole to find her way back.

It took her five minutes, but Kagome did eventually settle down enough to pick her head up and push the bag Bankotsu was holding in front of her face away. Licking her lips, Kagome this time was able to clear the lump in her throat. "So, what now?"

A wide grin split Bankotsu's lips as he set the paper bag down, grabbed Kagome's hands, and pulled her to her feet as he stood from his own stool. Looking down at her, there was a spark in his eyes. "Now? Now you meet the kids."

Shocked stupid, Kagome didn't move a muscle as her head snapped to the side, watching as Bankotsu walked away from her. It took her a good thirty seconds before brain caught up with her, and stumbled from her place, lifting the bottom of her dress so she could move a little faster to catch up. When she did, she looked up at him with horrified eyes. "You have kids?"

Chuckling again as he reached the set of double doors, he winked down at her as he pushed down on the handles. "Four." Yanking open the doors, he stepped inside, his arms still held out, and called into the room. "Daddy's home!"

With wide eyes, Kagome watched as, almost from nowhere, four big ass dogs materialized, barks and whines proceeding their physical appearances. When she was finally able to see what they looked like, she discovered he had four Dobermans and a fluffy something she didn't recognize. Once the shock she felt at how he referred to them wore off, she could help but smile as she watched them jump up at Bankotsu, her smile growing even more at the complete change in her boyfriend. It was like he was talking to actual babies as he tilted his head back to keep the biggest fo the four from biting his face off. There was 'I missed you too's, 'who's my big boy', 'how's Daddy's girl', and all kinds of other things that just didn't sound right coming out of him for everything she knew about Bankotsu.

Bankotsu, however, having not seen his dogs for a while, showered all four of them with attention before he roughly cleared his throat, catching Kagome off guard once again when all four dogs slammed their asses to the floor, looking up and following him with their whole heads as he moved to stand behind them. Crouching down behind the line of dogs, Bankotsu crooked a finger at Kagome, smiling at her when she entered the room. Holding his arms out once again, he tilted his head. "These... are the kids."

Looking at the line of dogs, Kagome loosely crossed her arms as she returned her eyes to Bankotsu. "I'm just curious... who's been taking care of them while you've been with me?"

Humming as he draped his hand over his thighs, Bankotsu clicked his tongue. "They're guard dogs, Kagome; relatively self-sufficient ones at that. They're used to being here by themselves during the day, and Hiten has been staying here at night to make sure they have fresh food and clean water. Normally, they have run of the house, and the boxes on their collars control the dog doors so they can come in and go out at will. The only reason they're locked up now is because Hiten and Ryu left the front doors open so they could bring your stuff inside, and Sheva is my problem child that doesn't like to listen to people."

Scratching behind her ear, Kagome licked her lips as she gathered the sheer of her dress and knelt on the floor. "Do they bite?"

Bankotsu shook his head. "Not unless they're told to or they see someone they don't recognize in the house and I'm not home. If that happens, then, yeah; they bite... repeatedly." Once Kagome nodded, and the slight fear faded from her eyes, Bankotsu continued with the introductions. Setting his hand on the biggest one's head, "this handsome devil, is Kouga." Moving to the next one, "This is my princess, Ayeme." With his other hand, he scratched the behind the ear of the next in like. "This sleek little bastard is their son, Shippo."

Cutting in with a giggle, Kagome smiled. "Someone likes their demon mythology. We have wolf demon royalty, and a Kitsune God."

Snorting, Bankotsu shrugged. "I can't be the only one if you know that."

Kagome clicked her tongue as a slight blush colored her nose. "It was my favorite class in high school." Then, she turned her eyes on the last one. "So, I guess that must be Sheva." At Bankotsu's nod, him scratching her head as he did with the other three, Kagome's brows drew down. "I don't know any myths with a demon by that name."

Bankotsu shrugged again. "I didn't name her. Sheva's mother was pregnant when she was surrendered to a rescue. She was born in the shelter I got her from, and that's the name the shelter gave her. I didn't seen any reason to confuse the poor girl more by changing her name as well as her surroundings."

Nodding her understanding, Kagome then cocked her head. "What kind of dog is she?"

At the question, Bankotsu just made a face. "Dunno. Her mother is a Siberian Husky mix, but no one knew for sure what her father is, but there was a warning of the possibility she has wolf in her; which would explain why she's such a colossal pain in the ass." Lightly snagging the aforementioned pup by the muzzle, he gently turned her to face him with a smirk on his lips. "Aren't you?" When Sheva barked in response, he chuckled. "Yeah... you're my problem child. But I still love you."

It was when he returned his eye to Kagome, he saw behind her, and Hiten was giving him a thumbs up, meaning they were done and front door was closed. So, standing, he looked at Kagome. "You might want to move." Then, with a snap of his fingers and a wave of his arms, he said, "Go", and the dogs were on their feet, giving Kagome barely enough time to get out of their way before they were off and tearing out of the room and into the house.

Holding out a hand to indicate she should also leave the dog's domain, Bankotsu took a moment to fully open the doors and set them in place along the walls and out of the way. Once that was done, Bankotsu turned to Kagome and tilted his head to the side. "Come with me."

Reaching down and digging her nails into Sheva's surprisingly soft fur since she was the only one of the four interested in saying hello to her, Kagome looked at Bankotsu with a smile and a nod as she scratched the back of the dog's head. "Okay." With another rough drag of her nails across Sheva's skin, Kagome pulled her arm back and followed Bankotsu toward the steps.

Bankotsu, however, was looking down at Sheva as she followed him as well, or, more likely, followed Kagome. Clicking his tongue as he led the girls up the steps, he hummed in his throat. "The hell is up with you?"

Also glancing down at Sheva, Kagome flicked her eyes to her clearly confused boyfriend. "What? Is she not allowed upstairs?"

Quick to shake his head, Bankotsu directed Kagome toward the east wing. "No, they can go wherever they want. It's just... she normally doesn't like people and prefers to hang out in the chair in the corner of the living room."

Unable to help it because he walked right into it, Kagome giggled. "Maybe she just doesn't like you."

Scoffing, clearly offended at the notion, Bankotsu set his hand on the handle of the master suite door at the end of the hall. "Watch it, Baby. Those are fightin' words." Then, almost like he had no choice but to prove his point, he tucked his lip and tongue, blowing a whistle, which sent Sheva into a game of chasing her tail for a moment before she lept from the ground into Bankotsu's arms like she was an actual child playing with her actual father.

And the humph and smirk on Bankotsu's face as he looked at Kagome was enough to actually make her laugh out loud, her fingertips over her lips to try and muffle it, if only slightly. "Okay, I'm sorry. She's your baby."

There was almost a snooty look on Bankotsu's face as he adjusted Sheva in his grip so he was holding her up with one arm on his side so he had a free hand to open the door to the room Hiten had put Kagome's stuff. "And don't forget it. It took me three months to get this girl to like me, so do go fucking that up."

Holding her hands up as she passed in and walked into the room, Kagome giggled again. "Possessive Papa, I see." She was six steps into the room before she actually looked in front of her, her eyes widening and jaw dropping when she did so. It was massive, with a sitting area set up in front of the glass french doors that led to a balcony, a king size bed, and a set of steps that led to a dresser and changing screen. There were two doors on the side wall Kagome assumed led to a bathroom and a closet. It was done in dark blues and purples and was stunning. Looking over her shoulder, she blinked. "This is your room?"

While she was taking in the East Master, Bankotsu had crouched and put Sheva down, running his hands along her sides, and letting her lick his cheek. When Kagome turned and questioned him, he gave a hard pat to Sheva's flank and stood, shaking his head. "Nope. Mine is at the other end of the house. This is yours." When she jolted with a 'mine?', he nodded as he slowly strode across the room, setting his hands on Kagome's hips when he was standing in front of her. "It was easier to put your shit in here, but it can always be moved. For now, you can take it as having a bit of your own space you can retreat to whenever you want. Or, just so you know..." Then, he tightened his grip and pulled her closer, his eyes locked on hers. "You are more than welcome to share my room."

Leaning into him and setting her hands on Bankotsu's chest, Kagome looked up at him through her lashes. "Wouldn't that defeat the point of keeping this a secret from your staff?"

Dipping his head, Bankotsu lowered his voice as he set his forehead against Kagome's. "Baby, if they haven't figured shit out by now, there's no hope for them ever doing so." Pressing his lips softly to hers, Bankotsu pulled back and looked down at her. "I'll leave you to settle in. The bathroom is the door to the right, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Once Kagome nodded, and after another peck to her lips, Bankotsu glanced at the bed where Sheva decided she was going to be spending her time, rolling his eyes and shaking his head before he left the room, closing the door behind him.

As he walked back toward the catwalk part of the hall, he paused and looked down at Hiten, who was still leaning against the pool table. Unbuttoning the top button of his shirt, he called down to his right hand. "Everyone here?" At the response of 'just about', Bankotsu glanced at the door between him and Kagome for a moment before looking back down to Hiten. "Gather everyone who is at the steps. I'm going to change, then I want to have word with them before Kagome sees them."

It was ten minutes later, and after poking an ear into Kagome's room and hearing the water of the shower running, Bankotsu bounded down the steps in a pair of fleece pajama pants, his shirt draped over his shoulder, barefoot, and his hair unbound. Rubbing his hands together as he walked across the entry, he grinned at Hiten and Ryu, who were waiting for him at the front door. "Let's do this, shall we?"

He didn't even slow his stride as his two top guys pulled open the double doors, Bankotsu strolling straight outside and not stopping until he reached the edge of what would be considered a porch, though it was basically just the top step. Letting his eyes roam across the twenty faces looking up at him, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Take a look around. Notice who's here, and who is not. If you don't see a face, you don't tell them shit the next time you do. Understood?"

Waiting until everyone present nodded in agreement to the terms, he continued. "For the next forty-eight hours, these grounds are on lockdown. No one enters for any reason; I don't give a fuck who they are. If you allow someone onto my property, you won't live long enough to make that mistake again." When he got a round of verbal understanding, he got to the point. "Dove's name... is Kagome, and she's inside. She is not a mark. She is my Lady, and from now on, your number one priority. You are here because someone has the epicly stupid idea in their head to do her harm. You are to remain alert and armed, but bare in mind that, for the moment, she has no idea who you are, so be smart about it and do not scare her. Give her her space, but she is to always be in someone's line of sight. Believe me when I say it is possible to watch someone's ass without being on top of them. And, I will only warn you once... anyone caught staring at my girlfriend's ass will be dealing with me _when_ I find out. If you think I'm joking, I dare you to test me."

There was uncomfortable expressions and nervous fidgeting, but when there was no comments, Bankotsu turned his back on the men in the driveway and lowered his voice as he spoke to Hiten and Ryu. "You two are in charge. Set up in the pool house and figure out the rotation schedule. I don't care what it is or who you put where, but no one is to enter the main house until morning. I am in no mood to ask questions before I put a bullet in someone's head."


	16. Chapter 16

Sitting in one of the chairs that was situated to the side of her room, Kagome let her eyes roam around, taking in the details. She had just taken the longest shower she could ever remember taking in what was nothing short of a personal spa. She had never been in a shower with seven shower heads, but damn if she ever wanted to take a shower with only one again. That was her definition of paradise, and she found herself looking forward to soaking for hours in that jetted tub she was convinced was big enough to host a damn party in.

After she felt she ran up Bankotsu's water bill sufficiently enough, she had spent some time putting her clothes away. There wasn't that much to do as far as that went because most of her clothes had been hung up at the townhouse, and whoever put her stuff in here, had just went ahead and hung it up for her. There was a little bit of rearranging needed, but even that hadn't taken that long. What took her more time than putting everything away was coming to the realization that she didn't have shit. It looked like a decent hoard in the smaller room she had at the townhouse, but now? Her clothes fit in two drawers and one shelving unit of the closet.

Which brought her to question something she never thought she would. If she spent seven thousand dollars on such a small amount of clothing, how the hell much money do rich people spend to have those busting closets she sees on reality TV shows?

The problem she was having right at the moment was, while the color scheme and woods intended to make the room warm and inviting, to her, it was cold and baron. It was beautifully decorated with the perfect furniture in the perfect size for the space, but it felt staged and impersonal. It read as it was, a guest room, and though she appreciated the fact she was given some place to go if she wanted to be alone, at the moment, she was positive she would never actually be able to relax in this sterile kind of environment enough for alone time to be beneficial.

Which let her to her next problem.

It was going on midnight, and she was fucking tired. But, again, though the bed was cloud soft, it was like the room it in was in. It was too big, and it was lonely. She had been sleeping next to Bankotsu every night for the last month, and had gotten so used to it, though she tried, she couldn't get comfortable. Everytime she rolled to the side, she expected to find her body pressed to his, but also every time she rolled over, that was a shot of disappointment when he wasn't there. It had taken her almost an hour before she gave up and got out of the bed and instead, took a seat in the chair, hoping for something not even she knew.

What kept her where she was was, this wasn't something that could almost be considered neutral territory. She knew Bankotsu owned the townhouse she was staying at, but it wasn't his _home_. When he was there, he didn't act like it was his place. If she told him to stop doing something, he stopped, because for all intent and purpose, it was _her_ place, and for the time she was there, it was _treated_ like her place.

That was not the case now.

This was Bankotsu's home, and his stance and demeanor before he showed her to the room she was in, _showed_ it was it his home. She almost watched his soul come to life compared to how he had been. Granted, it had only been about a half an hour between arriving and him showing her upstairs, but he had never been more open about himself before, which spoke to his comfort level, which was something else she hadn't seen yet. He wasn't a completely different person or anything like that, but you can always just tell when someone is in their 'domain' so to speak, and it left Kagome feeling as though she was in a bit of a tight spot.

Why she felt that way, she didn't really know. She had already basically been living with Bankotsu for a month, but this? This just felt different to her. She had, literally, never slept in a man's bed before. Inuyasha had always stayed at her apartment, and slept in her bed on the rare occasion he spent the night. Bankotsu had been sleeping in what amounted to her bed. Sleeping in a man's bed, in his house, was new step in a relationship for her, and she wasn't sure exactly how ready she was to take that step. However, the problem was, she knew she wasn't going to get a moment's rest that night unless she took it.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Kagome stood from her chair, pausing for only a moment to harden her resolve before she quietly opened the door. Sheva was sleeping in her bed, and Kagome didn't want to disturb her. She didn't close her door all the way behind her, not wanting to lock the dog in and end up with a mess to clean up because the dog couldn't get outside, but she didn't leave it hanging wide open either.

The runner that went down the entire length of the hall felt rough against her bare feet, but she was sure it was better than the cold ass hard wood the floor of her bedroom was anything to go by. She made it a little over halfway to Bankotsu's room before her stomach clinched and she stopped. Unfortunately for her, it was in the open balcony, and she and Bankotsu were not, actually the only ones in the house. She was also reminded of her state of dress when she heard a whistle from below, causing her head to snap to the side and down to the first floor, just in time to see Hiten smack Ryu with a pool cue. Staring down at them with wide eyes, Kagome was struck silent, having nothing to say to back since she was all but in her underwear in a sports bra and a pair of pajama shorts that didn't cover much more than what she was wearing underneath them.

Hiten, shaking his head, looked up at the startled girl on the catwalk. "Did you need something?"

Slightly shaking her head, she swallowed hard. "No, I'm okay. I just... wanted to talk to Bankotsu."

A very disbelieving smirk lifted the corner of Hiten's lips. "Double doors at the end of the hall."

Nodding back, Kagome cleared her throat. "I know. He told me."

Chuckling quietly, Hiten turned back to the pool table, bending over and lining up his shot. "Good night, My Lady."

Brows drawing down at the honorific, Kagome clicked her tongue. "Yeah... you too." She took two steps before she stopped when something caught the corner of her eye, and looked back down. "Hey, Hiten." She waited until he glanced back up at her to continue, and pointed at the windows behind him when she did. "Who are they?"

Pressing his lips together, Hiten's eyes cut to Ryu, who had the same 'oh shit' look in his eyes, before he looked back up at Kagome. "Good night, Kagome."

Biting into the corner of her lip, Kagome looked back at the two men she could see through the glass. "It's cold outside." Looking back at Hiten, "it's cruel making them stay out there."

Still holding his cue stick, Hiten crossed his arms. "It's not that cold."

Kagome fired back. "It's cold enough."

Hiten snapped back. "I guarantee it's colder in here than it is out there. They're fine. Good night."

She wasn't sure what it was that had the next thing coming out of her mouth, but there was no stopping the question. "They're here because of what happened with Inuyasha, aren't they?"

Knowing a dangerous question when he heard one, Hiten tucked his bottom lip over his teeth, running his tongue along it in thought before a moment before settling on the only thing he could get away with telling her. "They're here... because Bankotsu wants them here." He saw Kagome open her mouth, and held up a hand to stop her line of questions he couldn't answer. "Whatever his reason, now... go to bed, Kagome."

A frown pulled at the corner of Kagome's lips as she looked back to the two men outside, their backs to her, and let out a sigh through her nose as she nodded at Hiten. "Okay." Looking back at him, "night."

It was much easier for Kagome to make the second half of the journey to Bankotsu's room than it was to make the first half after that short conversation, but when she reached his door, she wasn't sure exactly what the protocol was. Did she knock? Did she just go inside since he had told her she was welcome in his room? Pausing a moment, she glanced back over her shoulder to her door, but with a mental squaring of her shoulders, turned back, lifted a hand, made a fist, and knocked.

Lounged out on his couch playing a video game, a smirk pulled at Bankotsu's lips at the timid sounding knock on his door. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he chuckled to himself. "Took her long enough." Pausing his game, he set the controller down and stood, stretching his arms over his head as he headed for his door. Once the shoulder he had been straining popped, he opened one of his doors, crossing his arms and leaning on the frame, crossing his ankles. "And here I thought you were going to make me forego another night in my own bed while actually in my damn house."

Mildly surprised, Kagome blinked at him. "You were waiting for me?"

Leveling her with a 'no shit' look, Bankotsu pushed off the door jam, backing out of Kagome's way to give her room to enter, and spoke to her as she passed him. "Did you think otherwise?" As he closed his door, he snorted with a shake of his head at her shrug. "Why the hell should I sleep alone with my girlfriend under the same roof, eighty yards away? Besides, I've slept next to you every night for weeks in a bed not my own. I would have done another one and would have gone to you if you would've taken much longer coming to me."

For as flattering as she found his words, the smile didn't quite reach her eyes, and Bankotsu noticed. His own brows drawing, he crossed his arms. "What's the matter?"

Scratching the back of her head, Kagome sighed as she sat on the arm of the couch Bankotsu had been laying on when she knocked, and looked at the floor. "It's nothing, really. Just... well, I just talked to Hiten, and..."

One of his drawn brows shot up and hid behind his bangs as Bankotsu hummed, unintentionally cutting her off. "Did you?"

Kagome cleared her throat and wrapped her arms around her stomach, not sure exactly what it was that turned Bankotsu's mood so drastically. "Yeah?"

More irritated than he wanted to be again that night, Bankotsu huffed. "Seems I need to have a word with him about our differing definitions of 'no one inside until morning', and what it actually means." Running a hand down his face and recrossing his arms, he looked his girlfriend dead in the eyes. "What about?"

Not entirely sure she wanted to answer that, Kagome licked her lips and lightly cleared her throat. "Well, see, I uh... I saw these two guys outside and... I asked why they were here when they weren't earlier."

Dropping his arms and growling out a breath, Bankotsu looked to the ceiling and mumbled under his breath. "I'm gonna kill every single fucking one of 'em." Shaking his head again, he crossed the space between him and Kagome, setting his hands to either side of her on the arm of the couch and bent at the waist. All anger from a moment ago was gone, replaced with the patience he only ever showed her. "Why do you think they're here?"

Biting into the corner of her lip, Kagome dropped her eyes for a moment before flicking them back to Bankotsu's and releasing her lip. "Inuyasha."

Nodding slowly with a drawn out 'mmhmm' in the back of his throat, Bankotsu then clicked his tongue as he moved a hand from next to Kagome's thigh, gently cupping her cheek and brushing the back of her jaw where the bruise from her being grabbed had fully surfaced. His eyes ignited when he heard her whine, but his voice remained a soothing and gentle as it always was. "I don't know whether tonight was coincidence or not, but..."

Lips pursing slightly, Kagome shook her her head. "You don't strike me as someone who believes in coincidence."

Bankotsu nodded back. "You're right; I don't. My connection to the hospital through Suikotsu is very well known, as is the fact I always attend that ball, and not once have I ever seen any of the Taishi family attend. Not a week after one finds out you're my girl, one shows up for the first time ever? Doesn't scream coincidence, does it?" Even though he saw the same spark of fear light in the back of Kagome's eyes, she didn't start hyperventilating again, so he continued, but was prepared for nearly any reaction. "I can't prove it, and it wouldn't really matter if I could, but I'm damn near positive there was some level of planning that went into him crossing your path tonight."

Doing what she could to lessen the tension, Kagome made some attempt at humor, but it sounded flat, even to her own ears. "This is why you get the big office with the nice view, right?"

Making a face of agreement, regardless of how out of place the statement was, Bankotsu licked his lips. If it made her feel better to draw unequal parallels between what happened at the benefit and something as mundane as an application screening, he wouldn't discourage it. Instead, he decided it was time to lay everything on the line, stopping just short of taking away her plausible deniability. "I believe enough chances have been taken with you, and I'm not willing to take anymore. I told you there is nothing I won't do to keep you safe, and since there is no way to know what that level of planning was, or who all was involved, I've taken steps to ensure it never happens again. Those two guys you saw, and the ones you're going to continue to see, are here because no matter how good I am at what I do, and I'm fucking spectacular at what I do, I cannot be everywhere at once. I will have to go to the office, and that means I'm not always going to be here." Moving his hand from her cheek and setting it back on the arm of the couch, he then got much more serious. "And until you're ready to see some shit, and accept the shit you're going to see, you can't always go with me."

Once again it was like her subconscious was trying to make her take steps her conscious mind knew better than to take. Before she could put a lock one her voice, the words were out. "How much worse can the shit be than killing your own dad?" Kagome wasn't able to name the emotion that overtook Bankotsu's face at the question, but goddamn was she captivated by the deeper tenor of his voice.

Bankotsu clicked his tongue as he hummed. Well, she opened the door. "I put that fucker in the ground a decade ago, and if I would murder my own father in cold blood, do you really think there are any lines I won't cross?" Tilting his head to the side, he kept their eyes locked. Leaning in closer, he got nose to nose with her, lowering his voice even more, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. "I hurt people, for money if not just for fun. Sometimes they survive, most of the time they don't, but I don't give a shit either way it goes."

Pulling back, there was something like horror in Kagome's eyes when she swallowed hard. "You're... you're a monster."

Scoffing hard as he pushed himself to stand, Bankotsu held his arms out to the side in a clear visual representation of 'so the fuck what'. "If you didn't connect those dots, that's your own damn fault." Pointing a finger at her, his words rang with a truth she wasn't sure she was ready to be reminded of. "I told you, not a week ago, I'm not a nice guy. I'm nice to you because I like you, but I'm not a nice guy. It's not money that keeps my men in line, Kagome, it's good old fashioned fear. I'm a mean son of a bitch, and just like last week, the life of random people don't mean a damn thing to me. Now, I don't know if this comes down to selective memory or selective hearing, but I told you before anything happened between us, even before I made my original offer, I have a body count. What the hell did you think that meant?"

Shaking her head, Kagome's voice was almost helpless when she responded. "I don't know. Like... the way it was presented, it... it sounded different than that. Noble, I guess."

Snorting hard, Bankotsu crossed his arms. "There is never a noble reason to end a life, Kagome. You can justify it to make yourself feel better about it, but that doesn't make it noble. If you think it does, I'm not the monster in the room."

Face drawing, Kagome made a pitch to the contrary. "But, you're dad was..."

Bankotsu didn't even let her finish. "I killed him for the oldest reason in the book there is... revenge. Where's the nobleness in that?" When Kagome looked away, Bankotsu tsked. "Like I said, you can justify it, but that justification doesn't make it noble. It just makes someone feel better. In this case, that someone is you. I don't know how much clearler I can make this, but I don't feel an ounce of remorse for what I did to him, and if he was standing in front of me right now, I would do it the fuck again." Reaching out and taking Kagome's wrists in his hands, there was actually a mild level of shock when she let him not just pull her to her feet, but also to his chest. Letting her wrist go, he set his hands on her hips, looking down at her with a soft expression and a meaningful look in his eyes. "I'm your ready and willing Champion, but don't mistake me for a hero. I'm a modern day mercenary Baby, and I thoroughly enjoy it."

Setting her hands on Bankotsu's abdomen, her fingers settling into the groves of his well defined muscles, Kagome looked up at him, but wasn't actually looking at him as she tried to digest what she had just been told. Nothing he ever said to her left her without more questions than answers, but the conversation from the safe house reared up and reminded her that certain answers came with certain commitments, but the only question she really needed an answer to could only be answered by her.

Was she already too deep for it to matter?

She knew the morning after they spent their first night together Bankotsu was going to be trouble for her, because he was different. She only recently learned how different, but even now, knowing what she knew, she didn't want to say she didn't care, but for whatever reason, she wasn't bothered by it, even though she knew she probably should be. She knew she should be bothered by the fact he didn't feel bad about taking his father's life, but she believed him when he said if given the chance, he would do it again. She wasn't sure what it said about her, but the fact was, she would want him to.

Since they met, so much of her life had come to, not just involve him, but almost revolve around him. She wasn't even sure when it happened, or what the turning point was where things made such a drastic change from the original bargain they struck to becoming what it did, but she could no longer imagine her life without him. More than that, though... she didn't want to.

Eyes returning to focus, she sighed. "What have I gotten myself into with you?"

A slow smirk pulled at Bankotsu's lip, he lifted a brow and hummed. "Do you hear that?" Seeing Kagome shake her head with an amused confusion on her face, he chuckled as he dipped his head and whispered in her ear. "Wedding bells."

Jerking back with a scoff, Kagome finally glared at him. "Bankotsu, I'm serious."

Looking almost offending at the prospect of joking about that, Bankotsu also let out a scoff. "So am I. Look, my girlfriend certainly gets my protection, but only my wife gets to know why she needs it." Once again lowering his head, his touched the tip of their noses. "Thems the rules."

Not backing down, for probably the first time with him, Kagome kept her eyes on his, and didn't move back this time. "I know why I need it."

Slowly, Bankotsu shook his head, brushing his nose against hers with every pass. "No... you know why you _want_ it. You have no idea why you _need_ it, but I'll give you a hint. It has, absolutely, _nothing_ to do with Inuyasha."

Licking her suddenly dry lips, Kagome gulped. "I'm not marrying you."

Angling his head, Bankotsu once again had his lips brushing Kagome's as he spoke. "Then might I suggest engaging your mouth in an activity other than asking questions."


End file.
